Translation guide
The phrasal verb "go into" has several distinct meanings. This guide covers the most common uses for English-speaking learners of Japanese, organized by meaning.
To physically enter a building, room, or enclosed space.
The most common verb for entering a place. Note that it is intransitive and takes the particle に.
Emphasizes the action of going into a place, often from the speaker's perspective. Combines 入る (enter) and いく (go).
彼は建物に入っていった。
He went into the building.
Means to enter, often with a nuance of stepping into a place, sometimes used in formal or prohibitive contexts.
関係者以外立ち入り禁止。
No entry except for authorized personnel.
To start talking about or examining a topic in detail.
Literally 'start talking about ~'. A natural way to express beginning to discuss a topic.
彼はその問題について話し始めた。
He went into the problem.
Used metaphorically to mean entering a topic or phase. Often used with words like 詳細 (details) or 本題 (main subject).
詳細に入る前に、概要を説明します。
Before going into details, I'll explain the outline.
本題に入りましょう。
Let's go into the main subject.
Means to touch upon or briefly go into a topic. Often used when not going into deep detail.
Literally 'dig down', meaning to go deeply into a subject. Used for in-depth discussion.
To start a career or become involved in a particular area of work.
Literally 'enter the field of ~'. A straightforward way to express starting a career.
彼は法律の分野に入った。
He went into law.
Means 'become a ~'. Often more natural than 'go into' when referring to a specific profession.
彼女は医者になった。
She went into medicine. (She became a doctor.)
Means to advance into a field, often used for academic or career paths.
大学院に進むつもりです。
I plan to go into graduate school.
To describe resources being spent or devoted to something.
Passive form of 費やす (to spend). Used when time, effort, or money goes into something.
このプロジェクトには多くの時間が費やされた。
A lot of time went into this project.
Means to put (effort, money, time) into something. Often used with 努力 (effort) or お金 (money).
彼はその仕事に多くの努力をかけた。
A lot of effort went into that work. (He put a lot of effort into that work.)
Passive of 注ぎ込む (to pour into). Emphasizes a large amount of resources being poured into something.
この研究には巨額の資金が注ぎ込まれた。
A huge amount of money went into this research.
To crash into something, typically used for vehicles.
General verb for collision. Can be used for vehicles or abstract clashes.
車が壁に衝突した。
The car went into the wall.
Means to plunge or crash into. Often implies forceful entry.
トラックが店に突っ込んだ。
A truck went into the store.
To enter a state such as shock, a coma, or hysterics.
Means 'to go into a ~ state'. Attach a noun describing the state.
彼は昏睡状態になった。
He went into a coma.
彼女はショック状態になった。
She went into shock.
Means to fall into a negative state or condition. Often used with words like 恐慌 (panic) or 混乱 (confusion).
市場は混乱に陥った。
The market went into turmoil.
Do not directly translate 'go into' as 行く (iku) + に (ni) for most meanings. 行く means to go to a location, not to enter, discuss, or invest. Use the specific verbs and phrases listed above.
入る (hairu) is intransitive (something/someone enters). 入れる (ireru) is transitive (to put something in). For 'go into', use 入る. Example: 部屋に入る (enter the room) vs. 部屋に物を入れる (put things into the room).
I will just briefly go into that point.
この問題をもっと掘り下げる必要がある。
We need to go into this issue more deeply.