込(こ)む ②Remain, To do thoroughly, Deeply, Intensely

Structure

Verb［stem］+ 込(こ)む

Details

About 込む ②

In Japanese, the う - Verb 込(こ)む 'to jam into' is frequently used as a suffix to convey several different meanings. The primary meanings are as follows:

(A) 込(こ)む - To enter completely into doing (A), or the state of being in (A).

(A) 込(こ)む - To enter a state of doing (A) that will not be considered complete until 'success'.

(A) 込(こ)む - To enter a state of doing (A) that cannot be escaped from.

In this lesson, we will exclusively focus on the second and third meanings, which are usually translated as 'to remain in (A)', 'to thoroughly do (A)', 'to do (A) deeply', or 'to do (A) intensely'. This form will be attached to the conjunctive form of other verbs.

Despite the multiple meanings, 込(こ)む can almost always be thought of as 'jamming (B) into (A)'. This means that whatever the (A) action is, will be something that is not easily entered, but also not easily escaped from.

Examples

--:--

みんないっせいに黙(だ)まり込(こ)んでいた。

At once, everyone sunk into an intense silence and remained silent.

ノベル：「れつこは気分(きぶん)が悪(わる)くなり、座(すわ)り込(こ)んだ。」

Novel: 'Retsuko felt weak and sat down.' (deeply・thoroughly)

疲(つか)れていたので、シャワーを浴(あ)びずに眠(ねむ)り込(こ)んだ。

I was tired, so I fell deeply asleep without taking a shower. (intensely・thoroughly)

友達(ともだち)との話(はなし)：「何(なに)を長々(ながなが)話(はな)し込(こ)んでたの？」

Chat between friends: 'What were you so intently talking about for so long?' (deeply・thoroughly)

エッセイ：「熱心(ねっしん)にひとつの事(こと)に打(う)ち込(こ)むことが必要(ひつよう)だと思(おも)っている。」

Essay: 'I think that devoting oneself deeply to one thing is important.'

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- Getting into 込む compound verbs
  Tofugu
- 込む vs. 切る
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込む ② – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (6 in total)

Pushindawood
remain
to do thoroughly
deeply
intensely
Structure
- Verb[stem] + 込む
[Used in a great number of compound words to express: “that some state continues as it is” or “doing/becoming something deeply, thoroughly, intensely, or repeatedly”]

[Doing something profoundly, deeply, thoroughly, often hints at doing something repeatedly to master/complete]

[ There are also compound words with 込む that do not belong to any of the mentioned categories. Some words can also express more than one of the mentioned meanings, including those from the first 込む]

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Johnathan-Weir
Is there a difference between using this and using adverbs like ちゃんと or しっかり with the plain verbs?
mrnoone
@Johnathan-Weir

Johnathan-Weir:

Is there a difference between using this and using adverbs like ちゃんと or しっかり with the plain verbs?

込む has more meanings than ちゃんと, so in some cases, they can mean similar or the same things (with slightly different nuances, since ちゃんと and the like basically mean “in a way that is considered correct” and by extensions of that it can mean “completely/thoroughly”, while 込む in core means “getting into something/ being involved in something”, but sometimes only a hint of that original meaning can be seen in compound) while in some cases they might mean two completely differen...
rextruong
Is there any difference between this and きる? They both got translated into “… completely” but I can’t distinguish between which one to use just from the english sentence alone.
Pushindawood
@rextruong Thank you for your question. It is a bit confusing to define both 込む and 切る as “…completely.” While there are instances where they can replace one another, the nuances behind the two are a bit different.

It might be better to think of 込む as " thoroughly," “deeply,” or “intensely” and 切る as “completely (to the end,” “utterly,” or “resolutely.” As 込む’s kanji implies, you will often see it used when something “goes in(to)” something else (飛び込む - jump into, 覚え込む - to fix in memory, 教え込む - to drill (a teaching) into (someone’s head), etc.), while 切る has a “cut off” point (言い切る - say definitively (and not say any more), 使い切る - to use up (all), 疲れ切る - to be completely exhausted and have nothing left, etc.).

Just by looking at the examples above, one can deduce that 切る is more likely to be used in negative situations or when the outcome is not necessarily favorable, while 込む is usually us...
rextruong
@Pushindawood thank you for the answer. If you don’t mind, may I also ask about the difference between these two and ~あげる／~あがる?
Daru

rextruong:

may I also ask about the difference between these two and ~あげる／~あがる?

Transitivity!