Getting Into 込む Compound Verbs

The Tofugu Podcast: Japan and Japanese Language

Prefer reading instead? We wrote a whole article about this (even more example sentences included!)https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/komu-compound-verbsHave you ever seen the Japanese verb 込む? On its own, it means "to be packed" or "to be crowded." But, this verb is also used in compound verbs... 255+ of them, in fact! You may have seen examples of this in your studies: 入り込む, 切り込む, 駆け込む, the list goes on and on. The problem is, the way that 込む affects the first verb (we'll call that V1) differs from word to word. In this podcast, we explore those inconsistencies, coming up with four "rules" you can follow to figure out the meaning of a 込む compound verb. It's both easier, and more difficult, than you think. Listen to the podcast to learn more, or check out our article for additional explanation and way more example sentences.