Meaning

Primary

To Cool Oneself

Alternative

To Cool Off

Word Type

intransitive verb, godan verb

Explanation

Because the hiragana ends with an sound, you know this word is a verb. The kanji itself means cool (temperature-wise) and the verb vocab version is to cool oneself or to cool off. Whoo, that feels much cooler now.

Reading

すずむ
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

The reading is the kun'yomi reading, but that's the reading you learned with the kanji so you should be able to read this one too.

If you need a refresher, remember that the Sue Zoo (すず) was made for the penguin Sue to cool off in, even when it's hot outside.

Context

Patterns of Use

Common Word Combinations

  • 少し涼む

    to cool down a little

    しばらく涼む

    to cool down for a while

    ちょっと涼む

    to cool down a little

Context Sentences

どこかでちょっと涼む?

Want to go cool off a bit somewhere?

すごく暑かったから、とにかく涼みたくてその店に入ったんだ。

It was super hot, so I just really wanted to cool off and went into that store.

うちのワンコはあそこの木陰で涼んでいます。

Our puppy is cooling off in the shade of that tree over there.

Kanji Composition