鳴らす

• Reading: ならす
• Romaji: narasu
• Kanji breakdown: 鳴 (mei/na) — sound, cry, ring
• Pronunciation: /na.ɾa.sɯ/

Meaning

To ring; to sound; to make something produce a noise.

A Group 1 (godan) transitive verb conjugated with the す row (鳴らさない, 鳴らします). The transitive pair of 鳴る (to ring/sound on its own). Used for ringing bells (ベルを鳴らす), honking horns (クラクションを鳴らす), sounding alarms (警報を鳴らす), and cracking knuckles (指を鳴らす). Figuratively, 名を鳴らす means 'to make a name for oneself.'

Examples

1. 目覚まし時計を六時に鳴らすようにセットした。 I set the alarm clock to go off at six.
2. 運転手がクラクションを激しく鳴らした。 The driver honked the horn aggressively.
3. お寺で鐘を鳴らすことができた。 I got to ring the bell at the temple.

Usage Guide

Context: daily life, driving, music

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Causative form derived from 鳴る (to sound). The kanji 鳴 combines 口 (mouth) and 鳥 (bird) — originally the sound of a bird crying.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal