Word
溶かす
Meaning in Englishto melt, to dissolve
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Word context
What it means
溶かす means to cause a solid substance to dissolve or melt into a liquid, typically by heating or mixing with a solvent; it is also used metaphorically to soften a stance or someone's heart.
Main meanings
- Physical dissolution or melting of a solid in a liquid or by heat.
- Metaphorical use to soften resistance, opinions, or emotions.
- Common in cooking, chemistry, and material processing contexts.
How to use it
Used in formal and everyday Japanese to describe dissolving actions as well as metaphorical softenings; examples include 砂糖を水に溶かす, 心を溶かす, 金属を溶かす.
Variants and close terms
- 溶かす (とかす) — to melt/dissolve; tokasu
- 溶解する (ようかいする) — to dissolve in chemistry; youkaisuru
- 融かす (とかす) — to melt by heat; tokasu
- 溶ける (とける) — to melt, to dissolve (intransitive); tokeru
Composition
- 溶: left water radical signals liquid state; the concept of dissolution is encoded by the character, reflecting a transition from solid to liquid.
- かす: kana suffix turning the kanji into a transitive verb meaning to cause dissolution.
Word class
verb (godan, 五段動詞)
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