Word
集める
Meaning in Englishcollect, gather
Animated kanji stroke order
Sentence
Related sentences
Word context
What it means
What does 集める mean? It means to bring things together by gathering or collecting them, or to amass items, information, or people into a group or pile.
Main meanings
- to collect physical items or resources (atsumeru)
- to gather information or data from multiple sources (atsumeru)
- to assemble people or a crowd (atsumeru)
- to accumulate resources or money over time (atsumeru)
How to use it
Used to describe the act of collecting or gathering tangible items, data, or people; used in both casual speech and formal writing; transitive with a direct object; contrasts with 集まる, which means to come together.
Variants and close terms
- 収集する (しゅうしゅうする) — to collect in a systematic or catalogued way (shūshū suru)
- 集積する (しゅうせきする) — to accumulate or pile up (shūseki suru)
- 取り集める (とりあつめる) — to gather together from various sources (toriatsumeru)
- 散らす (ちらす) — to scatter, the opposite nuance (chirasu)
Composition
- 集: core meaning to gather, assemble
- める: kana suffix turning 集 into the transitive verb stem
- る: dictionary-form ending used for ru-verbs
Word class
Verb (ru-verb, transitive)
Word
Related words by kanji and components
N1
特集
tokushuu
feature (e.g., newspaper, special edition, report)
N1
群集
gunshuu
(social) group, crowd, mob
N1
集計
shuukei
totalization, aggregate
N1
収集
shuushuu
gathering up, collection
N1
密集
misshuu
crowd, close formation, dense
N2
～集
～shuu
collection of ~
N2
集会
shuukai
meeting, assembly
N2
集金
shuukin
money collection
N2
集合
shuugou
gathering, assembly
Kanji