Translation guide
The English word 'passing' covers several distinct meanings: moving past something, succeeding in a test, handing something over, time going by, and more. This guide breaks down these meanings and provides natural Japanese expressions for each.
Describing the act of going past a point, person, or vehicle.
Used for overtaking vehicles or passing someone ahead of you. Often used in traffic contexts.
ここは追い越し禁止です。
No passing here.
Passing through a place without stopping, or a train passing a station.
電車が駅を通過した。
The train passed the station without stopping.
Passing by someone going in the opposite direction, often in a narrow space.
狭い道ですれ違うのは大変だ。
It's difficult to pass each other on a narrow road.
Achieving a passing grade or being successful in an examination.
The standard term for passing an exam, test, or screening.
彼は試験に合格した。
He passed the exam.
Casual loanword from English, often used in informal contexts.
テストにパスしたよ。
I passed the test.
Giving or transferring an object to someone.
General verb for handing something to someone.
塩を渡してくれますか。
Could you pass me the salt?
Passing something around a group, like documents or snacks.
Describing the passage of time.
Used for time passing, often with a duration.
時間が経つのは早い。
Time passes quickly.
Also means time passing, but can imply 'too much' when attached to adjectives.
Euphemistic expression for death.
Polite and common euphemism for dying.
祖父は昨年亡くなりました。
My grandfather passed away last year.
Formal term used in obituaries or announcements.
Transferring a ball to a teammate.
Loanword used in most sports contexts.
彼は良いパスを出した。
He made a good pass.
Legislative approval of a law.
Being accepted or mistaken for something one is not.
Pattern meaning 'to pass as ~'.
彼は大学生として通った。
He passed as a university student.
Both mean time passes, but 過ぎる can also mean 'to exceed' or 'too much'. 経つ is more neutral and simply indicates the passage of time.
While パスする is common in casual speech, 合格する is the proper term for formal situations like job applications or official announcements.
Please pass the documents around.
A year passed in the blink of an eye.
We mourn his passing.
The budget passed the Diet.