Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 育つ | sodatsu | [so̞da̠t͡sɨ] (narrow) |
| 成長する | seichō suru | |
| 生長する | seichō suru | |
| 生える | haeru | [ha̠e̞ɾɯ̟] (narrow) |
| 増大する | sōdai suru |
Japanese uses different verbs for 'grow' based on whether you are describing biological development, the emergence of something from a surface or an increase in scale and quantity.
Which one should you use?
The choice of word depends heavily on what is growing. 育つ is used for the natural growth of living beings such as children, animals or plants. 生える is used specifically for things that sprout or emerge from a surface, such as hair, teeth or grass. 増大する is used to describe an increase in volume, amount or scale, such as a growing debt or a growing population. 成長する refers to developmental growth, which can be either physical or abstract, such as personal or economic growth. Note that 生長する is also a form of 'to grow' provided in the dictionary.
How does it change in a sentence?
育つ can mean both 'to grow' and 'to be raised/brought up' in a specific environment.
How do you pronounce it?
sodatsu
Did you know?
- When talking about a child's height, Japanese speakers often use the verb 伸びる (to stretch or extend) rather than a verb for 'to grow' in size. To say 'I grew tall' is to say 'my height stretched'.
- The kanji 生 in 生える and 生長する is one of the most versatile characters in Japanese. Depending on the context, it can be read as 'life', 'birth', 'raw' or 'student'.
- If you want to say a person 'grew' in status or rank, you would not use 育つ. Instead, you would use verbs like 上がる (to go up) or 昇進する (to be promoted), treating growth as a vertical movement.
Examples in context
- 子供は放っておいても育つものだ。Children will grow even if you leave them alone.Tatoeba #168502 by tommy__san, translation #245990 by CK
- キノコって、こんなところで育つの？Do mushrooms grow in places like this?Tatoeba #11839661 by small_snow, translation #11842274 by CM
- 最小限度の世話で、立派に育つ植物もある。Some plants grow well with a minimum of care.Tatoeba #170418 by small_snow, translation #244065 by sundown
- 私たちの会社は着実に成長しています。Our company is steadily growing.
- 最近、日本の人口は急速に増加しています。Recently, the population of Japan has been rapidly growing.
- 子供たちはとても速く育っていますね。Children grow up so quickly, don't they?
- 彼の努力の結果、会社は急速に拡大しています。Thanks to his efforts, the company is growing rapidly.
- 私たちの目標は個人の成長とともに会社全体の発展も促進することです。Our goal is to promote both personal growth and overall development of the company.
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ren and Himari are looking at a small plant in a pot.
- 蓮 Renこの苗は、いつ育つかな？Kono nae wa, itsu sodatsu kana?I wonder when this seedling will grow?
- 陽葵 Himari毎日水をあげれば、すぐ育つと思うよ。Mainichi mizu o agereba, sugu sodatsu to omou yo.If you water it every day, I think it will grow quickly.
- 蓮 Ren陽葵は植物を育てるのが上手だね。Himari wa shokubutsu o sodateru no ga jouzu da ne.You are good at growing plants, Himari.
- 陽葵 Himari蓮くんも、一緒にやってみる？Ren-kun mo, issho ni yatte miru?Do you want to try it with me, Ren?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “grow” translations and entries 育つ, 生える, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
