逃げる

• Reading: にげる
• Romaji: nigeru
• Kanji breakdown: 逃 (tou/ni) — escape, flee, run away
• Pronunciation: /ni.ɡe.ɾɯ/

Meaning

To escape; to run away; to flee. Moving away quickly to avoid danger or an unpleasant situation.

A Group 2 (ichidan) intransitive verb. The transitive counterpart is 逃がす (to let escape). Used for physical escape from danger (火事から逃げる) and figurative avoidance of responsibility (仕事から逃げる). A high-frequency verb in storytelling and news.

Examples

1. 地震のとき外に逃げてください。 Please run outside during an earthquake.
2. 猫が窓から逃げてしまいました。 The cat escaped through the window.
3. 問題から逃げないで向き合いましょう。 Let's face our problems instead of running away from them.

Usage Guide

Context: emergencies, stories, daily life

Tone: urgent

Origin & History

From Old Japanese. The kanji 逃 combines 辶 (movement) and 兆 (sign, omen), suggesting moving away at the first sign of danger.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal