溜める

• Reading: ためる
• Romaji: tameru
• Kanji breakdown: 溜 (ryuu/tameru) — accumulate, store, save up
• Pronunciation: /ta.me.ɾɯ/

Meaning

To save up; to accumulate; to store. Deliberately collecting or building up a supply of something.

A Group 2 (ichidan) transitive verb. The transitive counterpart of 溜まる. Used for saving money (お金を溜める), accumulating points (ポイントを溜める), and storing water (水を溜める). Also used negatively: ストレスを溜める (to bottle up stress). Often written in hiragana as ためる in casual writing.

Examples

1. 旅行のためにお金を溜めている。 I'm saving up money for a trip.
2. ポイントを溜めて好きな商品と交換できる。 You can accumulate points and exchange them for your favorite products.
3. ストレスを溜めないように運動している。 I exercise so I don't bottle up stress.

Usage Guide

Context: finance, daily life, health

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Same kanji as 溜まる. The kanji 溜 combines 氵 (water radical) and 留 (to stay/remain). The transitive form implies actively causing accumulation, rather than passive buildup.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal