溜まる

• Reading: たまる
• Romaji: tamaru
• Kanji breakdown: 溜 (ryuu/tamaru) — accumulate, collect, pool
• Pronunciation: /ta.ma.ɾɯ/

Meaning

To accumulate; to pile up; to collect. Things gathering or building up over time.

A Group 1 (godan) intransitive verb. The intransitive counterpart of 溜める. Used for physical accumulation (水が溜まる, water collects), abstract buildup (ストレスが溜まる, stress builds up), and financial savings (お金が溜まる, money accumulates). Often written in hiragana as たまる in casual writing.

Examples

1. 仕事が忙しくてストレスが溜まっている。 Work has been so busy that stress is piling up.
2. 排水口にゴミが溜まって水が流れない。 Trash built up in the drain and the water won't flow.
3. 毎月少しずつ貯金が溜まってきた。 My savings have been gradually adding up each month.

Usage Guide

Context: daily life, emotions, household

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

The kanji 溜 combines 氵 (water radical) and 留 (to stay/remain). Originally described water pooling or collecting in one place, then extended to any kind of accumulation.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal