増えます（ふえます、fuemasu）
- to increase (intransitive)

The Japanese verb 増えます, read as ふえます, means "to increase," "to grow," "to multiply," or "to be added." It describes a situation where something becomes larger in number, amount, or size. It's an intransitive verb, meaning it doesn't take a direct object; the subject of the sentence is the thing that's increasing. The increase is usually spontaneous or without direct action. Think of it as something that happens naturally or by itself, rather than by someone's effort. 増えます often implies a passive or gradual process of augmentation.

⚫︎人口が 増えます。 Translation: The population increases. ⚫︎貯金が 増えました。 Translation: My savings increased. ⚫︎夏の間に体重が 増えました。 Translation: I gained weight during the summer.

⚫︎ Use 増えます when something is becoming more or larger. ⚫︎ Focus on the subject that is experiencing the increase. ⚫︎ It is appropriate in a variety of contexts, from describing the growth of a business to the increasing amount of snow. ⚫︎ Use it to describe natural and passive changes, for example, the number of people in a town is 増えます due to immigration, but if someone actively increases the number of employees, another verb like 増やす (to increase actively) is more suitable.

⚫︎ Typically written in hiragana as ふえます. ⚫︎ The kanji form is 増えます. ⚫︎ The verb stem is 増え. ⚫︎ Variations in okurigana (the suffix hiragana) are not applicable. It's always ます. ⚫︎ Different conjugations will change the last part (e.g. 増えた - increased, 増える - will increase/to increase).

⚫︎ 多くなります (ooku narimasu) - to become many / to increase in number ⚫︎ 増やす (fuyasu) - to increase (actively - transitive verb, requires a direct object) ⚫︎ 増加します (zouka shimasu) - to increase, to grow (more formal)

⚫︎ 減ります (herimasu) - to decrease, to diminish ⚫︎ 減らす (herasu) - to reduce (actively - transitive verb, requires a direct object)

最近、観光客の数が 増えましたね。 ・Translation: The number of tourists has increased recently, hasn't it? ・Explanation: This sentence describes an increase in the number of tourists. The subject is "the number of tourists".

今年の米の収穫量は去年より 増えるでしょう。 ・Translation: This year's rice harvest will probably increase compared to last year. ・Explanation: This sentence predicts an increase in the rice harvest. The subject is "the rice harvest."

The verb 増える is composed of the kanji 増 (zou), meaning "to increase," "to multiply," "to grow," and the verb suffix える which makes a verb that is intransitive. The kanji reflects the idea of an addition or expansion. The origin of the kanji is related to the idea of a thing being amplified or augmented.