増える

• Reading: ふえる
• Romaji: fueru
• Kanji breakdown: 増 (zou/fu/ma) — increase, add, augment
• Pronunciation: /ɸɯ.e.ɾɯ/

Meaning

To increase; to multiply. Describes a quantity or number growing larger on its own.

A Group 2 (ichidan) intransitive verb. Pairs with the transitive 増やす (fuyasu). Used for population (人口が増える), weight (体重が増える), and workload. The subject increases without someone deliberately causing it.

Examples

1. 最近、外国人の観光客が増えています。 Recently, the number of foreign tourists has been increasing.
2. 食べすぎて体重が三キロ増えた。 I ate too much and gained three kilograms.
3. 来年はもっと仕事が増えるかもしれない。 There might be even more work next year.

Usage Guide

Context: statistics, daily life, news

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From the kanji 増 (zou/fu/ma) meaning increase. Originally associated with the rising of water levels, later generalised to any growth in quantity.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal