塗ります（ぬります、nurimasu）
- to paint

The Japanese word 塗ります (塗ります, ぬります) primarily means "to paint," "to apply," "to spread," or "to coat" something with a substance. It implies the action of covering a surface with a liquid, semi-liquid, or a spreadable substance. The specific nuance of the meaning depends on the context, but the core idea of applying something onto a surface remains consistent. This can refer to painting walls, applying makeup, spreading jam on bread, or coating something with medicine. The use of 塗ります can also imply the application of something in order to create a new coating, like paint, or to apply something in order to repair the surface.

⚫︎ 壁にペンキを塗ります。 Translation: I paint the wall. ⚫︎ 顔にクリームを塗ります。 Translation: I apply cream to my face. ⚫︎ パンにジャムを塗ります。 Translation: I spread jam on the bread.

⚫︎ 塗ります (塗ります) is a versatile verb and can be used in various situations. It's suitable for both formal and informal conversations, though the level of politeness can be adjusted through the use of different verb forms. ⚫︎ Use 塗ります when describing the action of applying or spreading a substance on a surface. ⚫︎ Pay attention to the particle that follows the object being acted upon. The particle を (o) is typically used for the thing being coated, such as the wall in 壁を塗ります, and the particle に (ni) often indicates the surface or location where the substance is being applied, as in 顔にクリームを塗ります.

⚫︎ The base form is 塗る (ぬる). ⚫︎ The polite form is 塗ります (塗ります, ぬります). ⚫︎ The kanji is 塗. The hiragana reading is ぬ. ⚫︎ Other conjugations include: ⚫︎ 塗って (nutte) - [te-form] ⚫︎ 塗らない (nuranai) - [negative, present] ⚫︎ 塗った (nutta) - [past] ⚫︎ 塗ろう (nurou) - [volitional] ⚫︎ The okurigana (送りがな) is usually 「り」 (ri).

⚫︎ 塗布します (tofu shimasu) - to apply (formal) ⚫︎ 塗布する (tofu suru) - to apply (formal, dictionary form) ⚫︎ 塗る (塗る, nuru) - the dictionary form of 塗ります, the base form. ⚫︎ 塗る can be used in most situations, although the other words are more formal.

⚫︎ While there isn't a single direct antonym, words like "remove" or "erase" could be considered opposites in certain contexts, depending on the substance being applied or the action being performed. For example: ⚫︎ 消す (kesu) - to erase, to delete ⚫︎ 取る (toru) - to take off, to remove ⚫︎ 剥がす (hagasu) - to peel off, to strip off. However, the exact antonym depends on the substance.

ペンキを壁に塗ります。 ・Translation: I paint the wall with paint. ・Explanation: This sentence shows the direct application of paint to a wall. The object being painted is 壁 (kabe - wall), and the paint is ペンキ (penki - paint). The particle を (o) marks the object of the action, and the particle に (ni) indicates where the action takes place.

日焼け止めを体に塗ります。 ・Translation: I apply sunscreen to my body. ・Explanation: This sentence illustrates the action of applying sunscreen 日焼け止め (hiyakedome - sunscreen) to the body 体 (karada - body). The particle を (o) is used with 日焼け止め, and the particle に (ni) specifies where the sunscreen is applied.

The etymology of the kanji 塗 (to) is related to the action of applying or smearing something. It is composed of the radical 水 (mizu - water) and 土 (tsuchi - earth), suggesting originally the application of mud or a wet substance. Over time, the meaning broadened to encompass the application of paint, cream, or other substances.