Japanese

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• (Tokyo) くぼむ [kùbómú] (Heiban - [0])^[2]
• IPA^(key): [kɯᵝbo̞mɯᵝ]

Alternative forms

• 窪む

Verb

凹む ‎(intransitive, godan conjugation, hiragana くぼむ, romaji kubomu)

1. to become hollow, cave in, sink in

Conjugation

Usage notes

The transitive form is 凹める / 窪める ‎(kubomeru). Consequently, the potential form is the same as the passive form, くぼまれる ‎(kubomareru), instead of くぼめる ‎(kubomeru) as shown in the table above.

The spelling 窪む is used more often for くぼむ, because the alternate spelling 凹む can also be read as へこむ (see below).

Etymology 2

/herikomu/ → /hekomu/

Contraction of 減りこむ ‎(herikomu), itself a compound of 減り ‎(heri, “lessening, becoming less”, the 連用形 ‎(ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of verb 減る heru, “to reduce, to become less”) +‎ 込む ‎(komu, “to go inwardly”).^[1]

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• (Tokyo) へこむ [hèkómú] (Heiban - [0])^[2]
• IPA^(key): [he̞ko̞mɯᵝ]

Verb

凹む ‎(intransitive, godan conjugation, hiragana へこむ, romaji hekomu)

1. to become hollow, cave in, sink in: see the kubomu reading above
2. to decline below a certain point, to become less
3. to be stuck to be at a loss: see 困る ‎(komaru).
4. to yield, to submit

Conjugation

References

1. 1 2 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
2. 1 2 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13905-9