越す (こす, kosu) Japanese meaning: cross over | Kotomora

越こす

こ

す

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 5,000

越す · godan verb (-su)

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	越こす	越こさない
Polite	越こします	越こしません
Past polite	越こしました	越こしませんでした
Past	越こした	越こさなかった
Te-form	越こして	越こさないで
Desire	越こしたい	越こしたくない
Potential	越こせる	越こせない
Passive	越こされる	越こされない
Causative	越こさせる	越こさせない
Causative passive	越こさせられる	越こさせられない
Volitional	越こそう
Polite volitional	越こしましょう
Imperative	越こせ	越こすな
Conditional	越こせば	越こさなければ
Tara conditional	越こしたら	越こさなかったら

Meanings

godan verb (-su), transitive verb

cross over; go across

Used for physically crossing a boundary, obstacle, or geographical feature such as a mountain, river, or border.

山やまを越こすと、

Grammar

に越こしたことはないNothing is better than; ideallyN2

Kanji

越surpass, cross over, move to
超transcend, super-, ultra-

Related words

渡わたるN5sense 1
渡る is intransitive and describes crossing a river, bridge, or sea, while 越す is transitive and used for crossing over an obstacle, boundary, or barrier.
越こえるN3sense 4
超える is intransitive and means to exceed a limit or amount, while 越す is transitive and takes a direct object such as a number or standard.
引ひっ越こすN4sense 5
引っ越す is the everyday compound verb for moving house, while 越す alone is more formal or literary for the same meaning.
過すごすN4sense 3
過ごす focuses on how one spends or lives through a period of time, while 越す emphasizes getting through a difficult season or stretch of time to the other side.
克こく服ふくN3sense 2
克服する is a formal, abstract verb for overcoming a difficulty or obstacle, while 越す is a more everyday word often paired with 危機 or 困難.

Politeness

行いくplainN5sense 6
越す is the honorific verb used for someone's coming or going, corresponding to the plain verb 行く 'to go'.
来くるplainN5sense 6
越す is the honorific verb used for someone's coming or going, corresponding to the plain verb 来る 'to come'.

Don't confuse with

漉こすN1
越す (こす) means to cross or exceed a point, while 漉す (こす) means to strain a liquid through a filter; they share only the pronunciation.
よこすN2
越す means to cross or exceed something, while 寄越す is a distinct verb meaning to send or hand something toward the speaker, despite sharing the kanji 越.

Word family· 61

引ひっ越こしN4
moving; changing residence
お越こし
coming; going (honorific)
よこすN2
send; forward · hand over; give
引ひっ越こすN4

Written forms

越こすUsage84%
Standard kanji for crossing over, passing time, moving house, and honorific uses. Also used for surpassing, though 超す is more common there.
超こすUsage15%
Preferred kanji for surpassing or exceeding.
こすUsage1%
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially when the intended kanji nuance is not important.

Etymology

The verb 越す (こす) is a native Japanese word. The kanji 越 carries the core meaning of 'crossing over' or 'surpassing', while 超 emphasizes 'exceeding'. The honorific use developed from the idea of someone coming over a distance.

越こす

Meanings

Usage patterns

Expressions· 15