生える
Meaning in Englishto grow, to spring up; to cut (teeth)
Animated kanji stroke order
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Word context
What it means
What does 生える mean? It means to grow or sprout, especially of plants and hair, or to appear or emerge in a visible form.
Main meanings
- to sprout or grow from a surface or ground, such as shoots, grass, or mushrooms
- to grow hair, fur, or other body hair
- to appear or emerge suddenly as a phenomenon or feature
- to spring up or develop, often used metaphorically for things that begin to exist or become noticeable
How to use it
Common in both casual conversation and formal writing; attaches to a subject marked by が or は in Japanese sentences and is typically intransitive, describing natural growth or appearance rather than deliberate action; typical collocations include 草が生える and 髪が生える, among others.
Variants and close terms
- 伸びる nobiru — to grow longer or extend
- 芽生える mebaeru — to bud or germinate
- 出る deru — to come out or appear
Composition
- 生: life, birth, growth; in this verb it conveys emergence or coming into existence
Etymology
生 is the native kanji root representing life or growth; haeru uses the kun-reading attached to 生 to express emergence or growth, a pattern preserved across historical Japanese without foreign loanword influence.
Origin
In pre-modern Japanese, 生える appears as a natural, everyday verb used across classical and later texts to describe the emergence and growth of living things. Its usage spans flora, hair, and phenomena that visibly come into being, reflecting a long-standing conceptual linkage between life and growth.
Word class
verb (godan)