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Word 1695 of 2252

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穴

あな

hole, gap

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Examples

  1. 靴下に穴が開いた。

    くつしたにあながあいた。

    A hole has appeared in my sock.

  2. 庭に大きな穴を掘った。

    にわにおおきなあなをほった。

    I dug a big hole in the garden.

  3. 彼が急に休んだので、シフトに穴が開いてしまった。

    かれがきゅうにやすんだので、シフトにあながあいてしまった。

    He took the day off suddenly, so we were left with a gap in the rota.

Common patterns

穴が開く
a hole appears
穴を掘る
to dig a hole
穴を埋める
to fill a hole / cover for someone

Memory tip

穴が開く is one appearing by itself, 穴を開ける is making one. Figuratively a 穴 is the gap someone leaves: 穴を開ける is to let people down by not showing up, and 穴を埋める is to cover for them.

Kanji in this word

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What does 穴 mean?