占めます（しめます、shimemasu）
- to occupy

The Japanese word 占めます (pronounced しめます) primarily means "to occupy," "to account for," "to make up," or "to hold a share of" something. It describes the portion or percentage that something constitutes within a larger whole. It indicates the extent or proportion of something.

⚫︎日本の人口の約半分を高齢者が占めています。 Translation: Elderly people account for about half of Japan's population. ⚫︎この製品は市場の70%を占めています。 Translation: This product occupies 70% of the market. ⚫︎彼女の仕事は会議時間の大部分を占めています。 Translation: Her work occupies the majority of the meeting time.

This verb 占めます is typically used in formal or semi-formal situations. It is used when discussing statistics, proportions, or shares. You would use it when discussing the makeup of a group, the distribution of resources, or the market share of a product, for example. The subject of the sentence usually represents the thing that is doing the "occupying" or "accounting for." The word is often followed by a number or percentage that indicates the proportion.

The word 占めます is usually written with the kanji 占 (meaning "to occupy" or "to divine") and the hiragana めます. The full form is 占める (dictionary form). The masu-form is 占めます. Other conjugations include: 占めました (past tense), 占めれば (conditional), and 占めよう (volitional). The okurigana (the suffix hiragana) is consistent as める.

Some synonyms include: ⚫︎占有します (せんゆうします - to occupy, possess) - more formal ⚫︎構成します (こうせいします - to constitute, compose) ⚫︎割合を占めます (わりあいをしめます - to account for a percentage) ⚫︎含む (ふくむ - to include) The best synonym to use depends on the specific context.

There aren't direct antonyms, but you could consider words that indicate a lack of occupation or proportion, or words that relate to subtracting something. For example: ⚫︎減らす (へらす - to reduce) ⚫︎除外する (じょがいする - to exclude)

この部門は会社の総収入の40%を占めています。 ・Translation: This department accounts for 40% of the company's total revenue. ・Explanation: This sentence illustrates how 占めます is used to quantify the financial contribution of a specific department to the company.

東京は日本の人口の約10%を占めています。 ・Translation: Tokyo accounts for about 10% of Japan's population. ・Explanation: This example shows the usage of 占めます when discussing the population distribution.

The kanji 占 originally meant "to divine" or "to forecast." Over time, its meaning expanded to include "to occupy" or "to take up space." The verb 占める has evolved to encompass the idea of something holding a portion, share, or percentage within a larger whole. The origin of the word comes from the act of "divining" or "foretelling", which in some sense can be seen as "taking up" the truth or revealing information.