重ねる

• Reading: かさねる
• Romaji: kasaneru
• Kanji breakdown: 重 (kasa/jū) — heavy, pile up, overlap
• Pronunciation: /ka.sa.ne.ɾɯ/

Meaning

To pile up; to put something on another; to heap up. To stack or repeat something.

A Group 2 (ichidan) transitive verb. Used for physically stacking things (plates, boxes) and metaphorically for accumulating effort or repeating actions (重ねて練習する, to practise repeatedly). Common expressions include 年を重ねる (to grow older, lit. to pile up years) and 努力を重ねる (to make repeated efforts). Paired with intransitive 重なる.

Examples

1. お皿を重ねて棚にしまってください。 Please stack the plates and put them on the shelf.
2. 何度も練習を重ねてやっと成功した。 After practicing over and over, I finally succeeded.
3. 年を重ねるごとに健康に気をつけるようになった。 As I've gotten older, I've become more conscious about my health.

Usage Guide

Context: daily life, self-improvement, cooking

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From the kanji 重 (jū/omo/kasa, heavy/pile) with the transitive ichidan ending ねる. The character suggests adding weight upon weight — building layers.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal