傾く
katamuku[ka̠ta̠mɯ̟kɯ̟]
The Japanese verb for 'to lean' or 'to incline' is 傾く (katamuku).
傾く is used to describe physical tilting, such as a ship or a building, as well as metaphorical inclinations like a person's heart, mind or public opinion. Note that while 'lean' can refer to a thin physique in English, if you mean 'to be thin' in Japanese, you should use the phrase yasete iru. Additionally, if you are describing the act of leaning on or against something, the verb yoru is commonly used.
Meaning: to incline (verb)
Which one should you use?
傾く is an intransitive verb, meaning it is used when something leans or inclines on its own. If you want to express the action of leaning an object or tilting something, use the transitive verb 傾ける instead.
How does it change in a sentence?
The polite form of 傾く is 傾きます. To express the past tense, 'leaned' or 'inclined', use 傾いた.
How do you pronounce it?
katamuku
Did you know?
- In Japanese, the sunset is described using 傾く because the sun is envisioned as 'leaning' or 'inclining' toward the horizon.
- The word 傾く has an ancient, anatomical connection to the word for 'head', suggesting the very idea of leaning began with the movement of a head.
- The original pronunciation of 傾く was katabuku, but the 'b' sound shifted over time to become the 'm' sound used today.
Examples in context
- 前に傾いてください。Please lean forward.
- 壁が傾いています。The wall is leaning.
- 傾いた木Leaning tree
- 本を横にしてください。Please lay the book on its side.
- 彼は痩せていてスポーツマンのようだ。He is thin and looks like an athlete.
- 私は壁に寄りかかった。I leaned against the wall.
- 彼は政治的にリベラルに傾いている。He is politically leaning towards liberalism.
- 船が大きく傾く。fune ga ookiku katamuku.The ship leans heavily.
Example conversation
Misaki and Ren are looking at an old building.
- 美咲 Misaki見て、あの家が傾いているよ。Mite, ano ie ga katamuite iru yo.Look, that house is leaning.
- 蓮 Ren本当だ。危ないね。Hontou da. Abunai ne.You're right. That's dangerous.
- 美咲 Misakiもっと傾く前に直すべきだね。Motto katamuku mae ni naosu beki da ne.They should fix it before it leans more.
- 蓮 Renそうだね。Sou da ne.I agree.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 傾く, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 傾く, CC BY-SA 4.0.
