越える

Japanese

Etymology

From Old Japanese 越ゆ (koyu), in the 下二段活用 (shimo nidan katsuyō, “lower bigrade conjugation”) pattern.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) こえる (Heiban – )
• IPA^(key):

Verb

越(こ)える • (koeru) transitive ichidan (stem 越(こ)え (koe), past 越(こ)えた (koeta))

1. to exceed, to go over, to be more than, to cross

   限界(げんかい)を越(こ)える

   genkai o koeru

   to exceed boundaries/limits

   10％を超(こ)える

   10% o koeru

   to go over ten percent

2. to surpass, to excel

   予想(よそう)を超(こ)える

   yosō o koeru

   to surpass expectations

   先輩(せんぱい)を超(こ)える

   senpai o koeru

   to surpass a senior

3. to transcend

   時(とき)を越(こ)える

   toki o koeru

   to transcend time

Usage notes

The verb is variously written as 越える or 超える. In the senses “to go over, to cross”, 越える may be more common, while 超える may be more common in the sense “to surpass”. The form 踰える is rare and perhaps obsolete, though it is attested as recently as 1890.

Conjugation

Synonyms

• (surpass): 追(お)い越(こ)す (oikosu), 凌(しの)ぐ (shinogu)

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “go over numerically”): 切(き)る (kiru, “go under”)

References