To Get Dented
To Feel Down
godan verb
This word consists of kanji with hiragana attached. Because the hiragana ends with an う sound, you know this word is a verb. The kanji itself means concave, but "to concave" doesn't really make sense. So the verb version is to get dented. Or, more figuratively, to feel down.
凹む is used in a physical sense when the surface of something is dented, collapsed inward, or features some kind of hollow depression. That can be anything from a dented car to even a fit, slimmed-down belly (sort of like the flab is "dented" in).
In a figurative sense, 凹む is used when you're feeling down. Almost like your heart is dented, you know? We all have those days.
Since this word consists of a kanji with hiragana attached, you can bet that it will use the kun'yomi reading. You didn't learn that reading with this kanji, so here's a mnemonic to help you:
You feel like you've started to get dented when you have a head cold (へこ). Like all that sniffling makes dents on the sides of your nose. It's easy to feel down when you have a head cold too, but try not to let it get to you.
失恋で凹んでいます。
I'm feeling down because of unrequited love.
早速新車を凹ませてしまって、凹んでいます。
I'm super sad because I made a dent on my new car already.