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うつる Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb
be infected ; be contagious ; catch
usually written using kana alone
Intransitive verb meaning an illness or condition spreads to a person or thing. Often used with に to mark the source or the affected person. Cross-referenced with 移る sense 5, which covers a broader 'transfer' meaning; this word focuses on infection/contagion.
See also: 移る
This disease is contagious from person to person.
Written forms Applies to each form listed below
gikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun
伝う 染つ る
Kanji form using 伝染 (transmission/infection); recognizable but less common than kana.
感う 染つ る
Kanji form using 感染 (infection); recognizable but less common than kana.
Kanji 伝 transmit, go along, walk along 感 emotion, feeling, sensation Similar words 移うつ る 移る (sense 5) has a broader meaning of 'transfer' or 'move' (e.g., 責任が移る 'responsibility shifts'). うつる (伝染る/感染る) is specifically for infection or contagion.
うつす Transitive counterpart: うつす (移す/伝染す) means 'to infect' or 'to pass on' (e.g., 風邪をうつす 'give someone a cold').
Etymology The reading うつる is a gikun (meaning-based reading) applied to kanji compounds 伝染 and 感染, which normally would be read でんせん and かんせん respectively. The verb itself is likely related to 移る (to move/transfer), with a specialized sense of disease transmission.
