Translation guide
How to express giving way, submitting, or conceding to someone or something in Japanese.
To let someone or a vehicle go first, to give right of way.
Literally 'yield the road'. The most common way to say yield to someone in traffic or on a path.
横断歩道では歩行者に道を譲りましょう。
Yield to pedestrians at crosswalks.
Literally 'yield the lead/first turn'. Used when letting someone go ahead of you.
お先にどうぞと先を譲った。
I yielded to him, saying 'After you.'
To give in to demands, persuasion, or force.
To yield, succumb, or give in under pressure. Often used in the pattern ～に屈する.
彼は脅迫に屈して金を渡した。
He yielded to the threat and handed over the money.
To lose/be defeated; can mean yielding to temptation or emotion. Common in ～に負ける.
Literally 'to bend/break'. Means to compromise or give in during an argument or negotiation.
To admit that someone else is right or to stop arguing.
To make a concession, compromise. Formal but common in debates and business.
彼はその点について譲歩した。
He yielded on that point.
To back down, withdraw one's argument. Slightly more casual than 譲歩する.
彼はなかなか引き下がらなかった。
He wouldn't yield easily.
To let a feeling or urge take over.
To be driven by (an emotion). Used with nouns like 衝動 (impulse), 怒り (anger).
衝動に駆られて叫んでしまった。
I yielded to an impulse and screamed.
To surrender oneself to (an emotion or sensation). Often poetic or dramatic.
悲しみに身を任せて泣いた。
I yielded to sadness and cried.
To give someone else the opportunity to speak, especially in formal settings.
To yield the floor, give the right to speak. Formal.
議長は次の議員に発言権を譲った。
The chair yielded the floor to the next member.
譲る (yuzuru) is a general verb for yielding or giving way, often voluntary. 屈する (kussuru) implies yielding under pressure or force, often with a negative nuance. 負ける (makeru) means to lose or be defeated, and can be used for yielding to temptation or emotion in a more colloquial way.
I yielded to temptation and ate the cake.
After negotiations, the other party yielded.