重ねます（かさねます、kasanemasu）
- to pile up

The Japanese verb 重ねます, read かさねます, primarily means "to pile up," "to stack," "to layer," "to repeat," or "to overlap." It implies putting things on top of each other, one after another, or doing something multiple times. The specific meaning depends on the context of the sentence. It can refer to physical objects, actions, or abstract concepts. It is a transitive verb, meaning it generally takes a direct object.

⚫︎ 本を重ねます。 Translation: I stack the books. ⚫︎ 経験を重ねて、成長しました。 Translation: I gained experience and grew. ⚫︎ 報告書を重ねて提出しました。 Translation: I submitted the reports one after another.

⚫︎ Use 重ねます when you want to describe the action of piling things, layering things, or repeating something. ⚫︎ It is appropriate in both formal and informal settings, depending on the politeness level of the verb conjugation used. For example, 重ねます itself is a polite form. The plain form is 重ねる.

⚫︎ Typically written in kanji 重ねます. ⚫︎ The hiragana reading is かさねます. ⚫︎ The okurigana (the suffix hiragana) is usually ます.

⚫︎ 積む (tsumu): to pile up, to accumulate (often for solid objects) ⚫︎ 積み重ねる (tsumikasaneru): to pile up, to accumulate (emphasizes the process) ⚫︎ 重なる (kasanaru): to overlap, to coincide (intransitive verb – things overlap on their own) ⚫︎ 繰り返す (kurikaesu): to repeat

⚫︎ 分ける (wakeru): to divide, to separate ⚫︎ 減らす (herasu): to reduce

皿を重ねて、棚にしまいました。 ・Translation: I stacked the plates and put them on the shelf. ・Explanation: This sentence illustrates the physical act of 重ねる, stacking the plates.

失敗を恐れずに、挑戦を重ねてください。 ・Translation: Please keep trying, without fearing failure. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 重ねて (the て-form of 重ねる) to imply repeating the action of challenging oneself.

The verb 重ねる comes from the adjective 重ね (kasane), which means "layer" or "fold." The verb essentially describes the action of creating layers or folds.