Japanese

める

かためる
Meaning: to harden; to strengthen; to consolidate
Part of Speech: Verb

Listen to pronunciation

Show inflections Hide inflections

Verb inflections

Form Affirmative Negative
Present 固める 固めない
Polite 固めます 固めません
Past 固めた 固めなかった
Polite + Past 固めました 固めませんでした
Te-form 固めて 固めなくて
Potential 固められる 固められない
Passive 固められる 固められない
Causative 固めさせる 固めさせない
Imperative 固めろ 固めるな

Handwriting

固
め
る

Example sentences

He is strengthening his foundation now for the future.
城の防御を固める必要がある。
It is necessary to strengthen the castle's defenses.
何事も基礎を固めることが大切だ。
It is important to solidify the foundation in everything.
城の守りを固めるために、新しい兵士を雇った。
We hired new soldiers to strengthen the castle's defenses.
将軍は守備を固めるために兵力の増強を求めた。
The general requested more troops to strengthen the defense.
敵軍の攻撃に備えて、城の守りを固めた。
In preparation for the enemy army's attack, we strengthened the castle's defenses.
城の防備を固める。
They are strengthening the castle's defenses.
彼らは国のために戦地へ征く決意を固めた。
They hardened their resolve to set out for the battlefield for the sake of their country.
家の守りを固めたので、後顧之憂なく旅に出ることができる。
Now that I've secured the house's defenses, I can go on a journey without any worries about what I'm leaving behind.

Usage Notes

Used both for physical hardening and metaphorical strengthening of foundations or resolves.

Sottaku

About Sottaku

Sottaku is an app for learning Chinese, Japanese, Korean, English, Spanish, French, German, and Italian with a strong focus on SRS. It includes automatic flashcard creation for hundreds of thousands of words, grammar breakdowns in example sentences, language-specific study packs where available, adaptive quizzes, mobile apps, a browser extension, and community features. Give it a try now! All learning content is free with no limits on flashcards or study time.

Sottaku is built to match the habits of successful learners. By using Sottaku, you will naturally learn in the most efficient way possible, as proven by countless success stories in the language learning community.

Free Forever

Access all grammar guides, quizzes, and flashcards without paying a cent. Quality education should be accessible to everyone.

Smart SRS System

Our flashcard system uses the FSRS algorithm (also used in Anki) to optimize your review schedule and maximize retention.

Comprehensive Content

From hanzi, kana, hangul, and European vocabulary basics to grammar and reading practice where available, we have lessons for every level. Practice with quizzes tailored to your skill.

Community Chat

Ask level-appropriate questions and get help from the community. Learn together with fellow learners across all 8 supported languages.