Word
Kana: うけとめる Romaji: uketomeru Level: N1

受け止める

Meaning in English

to catch, to react to, to take

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Word context

What it means

What does 受け止める mean? It means to receive and hold something, either physically or mentally, and to respond by accepting or processing it.

Main meanings

  • Physical catching or taking in something thrown at you, such as a ball
  • Accepting or acknowledging information, feedback, or a situation
  • Enduring or bearing an impact or difficulty
  • Mentally taking in and considering something to respond appropriately

How to use it

Predominantly transitive and usable in both casual and formal contexts. Common phrases include 現実を受け止める, 事実を受け止める, and 批判を受け止める, as well as ボールを受け止める for physical actions; used with nouns describing reality, information, or impact to indicate acceptance, comprehension, or resilience.

Variants and close terms

  • 受け入れる (uke-ireru) — to accept/embrace (romaji: ukeireru)
  • 理解する (rikai suru) — to understand/acknowledge (romaji: rikai suru)
  • 捕らえる (toraeru) — to seize/catch (romaji: toraeru)
  • 拒否する (kyohi suru) — to refuse (romaji: kyohi suru)

Composition

  • 受け: the kanji 受 meaning to receive/accept; the following け completes the stem
  • 止める: the kanji 止 meaning to stop/hold; める plus る forms the verb ending, together giving the sense of stopping/holding what is received

Etymology

etimologia From 受け (uke, to receive) combined with 止める (tomeru, to stop/hold). The compound forms a single verb through standard phonetic evolution in Japanese, with the stem conveying receiving and the suffix indicating stopping/holding the received thing.

Word class

Verb (一段動詞, transitive)

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