Word
産む
Meaning in Englishgive birth, produce, generate
Animated kanji stroke order
Word context
What it means
What does 産む mean? It means to give birth or bear offspring; used for humans and animals; it can also imply to yield or produce something.
Main meanings
- Figurative use to yield or generate results, ideas, or benefits.
- Common collocations with 子を to indicate offspring in humans and animals; usage shifts with formality from casual 産む to formal 出産する.
How to use it
Used across casual and formal contexts to describe the act of giving birth; for humans and animals, with 子を産む and 動物が子を産む as common phrases; formal or clinical contexts prefer 出産する; examples in Japanese: 子どもを産む, 動物が子を産む, 出産は大変だ
Variants and close terms
- 生む (umu) - to give birth, alternative kanji with same meaning
- 出産する (shussan suru) - to give birth, formal or clinical usage
Composition
- 産: birth, production; used in compounds like 産業, 産物
- む: verb suffix that attaches to a noun/root to form the verb, indicating the act of producing or giving birth
Etymology
Native Japanese verb (kun'yomi) built from the noun 産 meaning birth or production, with the verb ending む. No loanword history; cognate with 生む in meaning and usage.
Word class
verb (五段)