Translation guide
The English word 'yielding' can describe physical flexibility, a tendency to give way under pressure, or a personality trait of being accommodating. This guide covers natural Japanese expressions for each meaning.
Describing a surface, material, or object that gives way under pressure, such as a soft mattress or pliable material.
General word for soft, pliable, or yielding to touch. Can describe anything from a mattress to dough.
このマットレスはとても柔らかい。
This mattress is very yielding.
Describes something with elasticity or springiness, yielding but returning to shape.
このクッションは弾力があって座り心地がいい。
This cushion is yielding and comfortable to sit on.
Supple, pliant, gracefully flexible. Often used for slender branches, fabric, or a dancer's movements.
柳の枝はしなやかだ。
Willow branches are yielding.
Describing a structure or material that bends, sinks, or collapses under load.
To bend or sag under weight, like a shelf or a branch. Intransitive verb.
本の重みで棚がたわんでいる。
The shelf is yielding under the weight of the books.
To sink or subside, used for ground, a mattress, or a ship. Implies downward yielding.
To dent or cave in, often from impact. Casual.
Describing a person who is willing to compromise, give in, or adapt to others' wishes.
Flexible, adaptable. Commonly used for a person's attitude or thinking.
彼はとても柔軟な考え方の持ち主だ。
He has a very yielding way of thinking.
Obedient, meek, compliant. Often used for children or someone who follows advice without resistance.
彼女は素直に私の提案を受け入れた。
She yielded to my suggestion without argument.
Docile, submissive. More formal and can imply a power dynamic.
犬は飼い主に従順だ。
The dog is yielding to its owner.
Giving up one's position, conceding a point, or surrendering.
To concede, give way, or hand over. Used in debates, negotiations, or giving up a seat.
交渉で相手に譲った。
I yielded to the other party in the negotiation.
To give in, compromise, or bend one's principles. Literally 'to break/snap', metaphorically to yield.
To surrender, give up. Stronger than 譲る, implies admitting defeat.
議論に負けて降参した。
I lost the argument and yielded.
Yielding crops, interest, or returns.
To produce, generate, yield (results, profits, etc.). Transitive verb.
その投資は高い利益を生み出した。
The investment yielded high returns.
To bring about, result in. Often used for abstract outcomes.
To produce, yield (natural resources, agricultural products). Technical/formal.
この地域は石油を産出する。
This region yields oil.
The English 'yielding' as a personality trait is often translated as 柔軟な (flexible) or 素直な (obedient). Using 譲る (to concede) for a person's character can sound odd unless in a specific context of giving in.
柔らかい is the general word for softness, while しなやか implies graceful flexibility and is often used for slender objects or movements.
My foot sank into the yielding mud.
The car door yielded (dented) when the ball hit it.
He wouldn't yield easily.
研究は重要な発見をもたらした。
The research yielded important discoveries.