葬ほうむる

also: ほうぶる

ほ

う

む

る

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

godan verb (-ru), transitive verb

bury; inter; entomb

Literal burial of a dead body, often in a grave or tomb. Formal or solemn tone.

遺い体たいは故こ郷きょうの墓ぼ地ちに葬ほうむられた。
The remains were buried in the cemetery of his hometown.
彼かれは家か族ぞくの墓はかに葬ほうむられ

た

。

He was interred in the family grave.

2

godan verb (-ru), transitive verb

cover up; hush up; shelve

Figurative use: to conceal a scandal, problem, or inconvenient truth; to bury an issue so it is forgotten. Often used with words like 事件, 問題, 疑惑.

会かい社しゃは不ふ祥しょう事じを葬ほうむろうとした。
The company tried to cover up the scandal.
その問もん題だいは闇やみに葬ほうむられた。
The issue was buried in darkness (hushed up).

Written forms

葬るUsage97%
- ほうむる
  Standard kanji spelling for both literal burial and figurative cover-up senses.
- ほうぶる
  Rare reading; mostly historical or dialectal. Learners should use ほうむる.
ほうむるUsage3%
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially for the figurative sense.
ほうぶる

Kanji

葬interment, bury, shelve

Similar words

埋うめる
埋める is the general word for burying or filling something (e.g., a hole, a gap). 葬る is specifically for burying a dead body or figuratively covering up a matter.
隠かくす
隠す means to hide or conceal something physically or abstractly. 葬る implies actively suppressing or making something disappear from public attention, often with a sense of finality.

Etymology

The kanji 葬 means 'burial' or 'funeral'. The reading ほうむる is of native Japanese origin, likely related to 放る (ほうる, to throw away) and 埋む (うずむ, to bury), but the exact derivation is uncertain.