塗り替える

• Reading: ぬりかえる
• Romaji: nurikaeru
• Kanji breakdown: 塗 (to/nu) — paint, coat; 替 (tai/ka) — replace, change
• Pronunciation: /nɯ.ɾi.ka.e.ɾɯ/

Meaning

To repaint; to rewrite or break a record; to fundamentally transform or overturn an existing state.

A Group 2 (ichidan) compound verb of 塗る (to paint, to coat) and 替える (to replace, to change). The literal meaning is to apply a new coat of paint over an old surface. Figuratively, and more commonly in N1-level usage, it means to overturn or rewrite something established — breaking a world record, reshaping an industry, or transforming a city's image. The figurative sense implies that something previously fixed is now replaced with something new and superior.

Examples

1. その選手は自らの世界記録をさらに塗り替え、前人未到の記録を樹立した。 The athlete broke her own world record yet again, setting a mark that no one had ever reached before.
2. スマートフォンの普及は、従来の通信市場の勢力図を塗り替えた。 The widespread adoption of smartphones rewrote the map of power in the conventional telecommunications market.
3. 長年放置されていた外壁を塗り替えると、建物全体が見違えるように明るくなった。 When the long-neglected exterior walls were repainted, the entire building was transformed beyond recognition.

Usage Guide

Context: sports, business, technology, construction

Tone: positive

Origin & History

Compound of 塗る (to paint/coat, from Old Japanese) and 替える (to replace/substitute). The metaphor of painting over an old surface to create a new one naturally extended to the notion of overwriting established facts, records, or structures.

Cultural Context

Era: Contemporary

Generation: All ages

Social background: General