also: かむる
godan verb (-ru), transitive verb
put on one's head; wear on the head; pull over one's head
Used for hats, helmets, crowns, hoods, bedding, and other things placed on or pulled over the head. The kana spelling is especially common in ordinary writing.
外に出る前に帽子をかぶった。
I put on a hat before going outside.
子どもは
The child pulled the futon over their head.
godan verb (-ru), transitive verb
be covered with; pour over oneself; take on water
Takes the thing that comes over the subject as the object: 雪をかぶる, 水をかぶる, 波をかぶる. It can describe being covered, dousing oneself, or a boat shipping water.
山の頂上が雪をかぶっている。
The mountain peak is covered with snow.
暑かったので、庭で水をかぶった。
It was hot, so I poured water over myself in the yard.
小さな船が大きな波をかぶった。
The small boat shipped a large wave.
godan verb (-ru), transitive verb
take blame; shoulder a burden; assume responsibility
Used for taking on an unwanted burden such as blame, debt, responsibility, or another person's fault. Common collocations include 責任をかぶる, 借金をかぶる, and 罪をかぶる.
彼は部下のミスの責任をかぶった。
He took responsibility for his subordinate's mistake.
兄の借金をかぶることになった。
I ended up shouldering my older brother's debt.
godan verb (-ru), transitive verb
overlap; be superimposed
Used when sounds, voices, colors, or visual elements overlap so that they interfere or lie on top of each other. In everyday usage this often appears with が or と.
二人の声がかぶって、何を言っているのか分からなかった。
Their voices overlapped, so I couldn't tell what they were saying.
godan verb (-ru), transitive verb
be the same; duplicate; be redundant
Casual-to-neutral everyday use for schedules, ideas, roles, clothes, jokes, or content that unintentionally match or duplicate each other.
会議と授業の時間がかぶってしまった。
The meeting and the class ended up being at the same time.
友達と服装がかぶった。
My outfit was the same as my friend's.
godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb
be fogged; be veiled by exposure
Photography use, especially of film or an image becoming fogged or whitish from overexposure or unwanted light.
フィルムがかぶって、写真が白っぽくなっていた。
The film was fogged, and the photo had turned whitish.
godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb
Specialized theatrical use for a performance or play coming to an end. It is not the normal everyday verb for 'close' or 'end.'
古い劇場用語では、「芝居がかぶる」は芝居が終わることを指す。
In old theatrical terminology, 芝居がかぶる refers to a play coming to an end.
godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb
sell out; get a full house
Specialized theatrical use for a play or performance drawing a full house or selling out. This is limited jargon, not the usual modern way to say tickets are sold out.
劇場用語では、「芝居がかぶる」が満員になることを表す場合もある。
In theatrical terminology, 芝居がかぶる can also mean that a performance is full.
godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb
Archaic theatrical-related use, especially associated with the expression 毛氈を被る. Do not use it as an ordinary modern verb for making a mistake.
See also: 毛氈を被る
「毛氈をかぶる」は、役者が舞台で失敗することをいう古い表現だ。
毛氈をかぶる is an old expression meaning that an actor blunders on stage.
godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb
Archaic use meaning to be tricked or deceived. Modern Japanese normally uses だまされる instead.
古い文章では、「かぶる」が「だまされる」という意味で使われることがある。
In old writing, かぶる is sometimes used to mean 'be deceived.'