What does 薄める mean?
薄める is a Japanese verb meaning “to dilute, to water down” in English. It can also be translated as “to soften (e.g. a statement, impression, etc.)” depending on context. It is written as 薄める in kanji, うすめる in hiragana, and usumeru in romaji. This word is part of JLPT N2 vocabulary.
Conjugation of 薄める
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Plain | 薄めるうすめる | 薄めないうすめない |
| Plain past | 薄めたうすめた | 薄めなかったうすめなかった |
| Polite | 薄めますうすめます | 薄めませんうすめません |
| Polite past | 薄めましたうすめました | 薄めませんでしたうすめませんでした |
Other forms
Te-form薄めてうすめて
Potential薄められるうすめられる
Passive薄められるうすめられる
Volitional薄めよううすめよう
Causative薄めさせるうすめさせる
Conditional薄めればうすめれば
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Intransitive partner
薄める (someone does it)·薄まる (it happens by itself)
薄める describes someone doing something to a thing. 薄まる describes it happening by itself. Japanese keeps these apart where English often uses one verb for both.