Word
信じる
Meaning in Englishbelieve, trust
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Sentence
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Word context
What it means
信じる means to believe or trust in someone or something, to accept as true or reliable, and to rely on that person or statement in everyday life.
Main meanings
- belief in the truth of a statement or idea, often without absolute proof
- trust or confidence placed in a person, claim, or source
- to rely on or depend on someone or something in a situation
- to believe wholeheartedly or with conviction, sometimes implying faith more than evidence
How to use it
Used across formal, neutral, and casual speech, 信じる attaches to nouns, propositions, or people; in religious context it can express faith, while in everyday talk it covers accepting information, promises, or outcomes as true.
Variants and close terms
- 信頼する (shinrai suru) — to trust, with emphasis on reliability
- 信用する (shinyou suru) — to credit or rely on in formal contexts
- 疑う (utagau) — to doubt
- 信じ込む (shinjikomu) — to be convinced or to fall for something, sometimes without evidence
Composition
- 信: left-side person radical + right-side speech; together they symbolize someone’s word being credible, hence trust
- じる: native verb-forming suffix that turns a concept into the action of believing or doing the act of belief
Word class
verb (五段動詞, godan)
Word
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Kanji