Translation guide
This guide covers how to express the idea of bringing something or someone physically closer, as well as related figurative uses like drawing closer in relationships or time.
To move an object nearer to the speaker or to a reference point.
Transitive verb meaning 'to bring something closer'. Used for objects. The intransitive counterpart is 近づく (to approach).
椅子を机に近づけてください。
Please bring the chair closer to the desk.
Means 'to draw something near' or 'to pull something closer'. Often used for moving objects toward oneself.
彼はマイクを口元に寄せた。
He brought the microphone closer to his mouth.
A straightforward phrase meaning 'to bring something near'. More colloquial and explicit than 近づける.
その箱を近くに持ってきて。
Bring that box closer.
To cause someone to come nearer, either physically or in terms of relationship.
Means 'to summon' or 'to call someone over', bringing them close to you.
彼女は子供たちを呼び寄せた。
She called the children over to her.
Causative form meaning 'to make someone come closer'. More direct and less common than 呼び寄せる.
先生は生徒を近くに来させた。
The teacher made the student come closer.
To make a relationship more intimate or to reduce emotional distance.
Literally 'to shorten the distance'. Commonly used for relationships, meaning to become closer or to bring people closer.
共通の趣味が二人の距離を縮めた。
Their shared hobby brought them closer together.
Means 'to make intimate' or 'to bring closer in a relationship'. More formal and less common in casual speech.
その経験が彼らを親密にした。
That experience brought them closer.
To cause something to happen sooner or to make a future event nearer.
Means 'to advance' or 'to bring forward' in time. Used for deadlines, events, etc.
会議の日程を早めましょう。
Let's bring the meeting date closer (make it sooner).
Can also be used figuratively for time, meaning to bring a future point nearer.
The English phrase 'bring close' is often not directly translatable as a single Japanese verb. Use context-appropriate verbs like 近づける or 寄せる, or phrases like 近くに持ってくる.
近づける is more general for bringing something closer to any reference point. 寄せる often implies pulling something toward oneself or a specific point, and can also mean 'to gather' or 'to draw aside'.
その政策は戦争の危機を近づけた。
The policy brought the threat of war closer.