Meaning

Primary

To Come Together

Alternatives

To Gather, To Be Gathered

Word Type

intransitive verb, godan verb

Explanation

I bet you remember 集める means "to collect something." But this time you're not collecting something. Instead, something just… collects. In other words, 集まる means to come together or to gather. Friends come together, or fans gather at a venue — that sort of thing. No direct object needed, since this is intransitive.

Verbs ending in okurigana that rhyme with ある tend to be intransitive like this. You can remember this because if something is ある, it's just there, existing, not acting on anything else. That's why verbs that sound like it are often intransitive too!

Reading

あつまる
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

The reading is the same as 集める so if you know that word you'll know how to read this word as well.

Context

Common Word Combinations

  • 人が集まる

    people gather

    注目が集まる

    to attract attention

    仲間が集まる

    friends gather

Context Sentences

北海道への旅行で全社員が集まる予定です。

The plan is that all employees will come together on a trip to Hokkaido.

クラウドファンディングで、こんなにたくさんのお金が集まりました。

A lot of money was raised through crowdfunding.

見て!あそこにヤンキーたちがたくさん集まってるよ。

Look! A group of miscreants are gathering over there!

Kanji Composition