当たります（あたります、atarimasu）
- to be hit

The Japanese verb 当たります (at[当たります]arimasu) has several meanings, all related to the idea of "hitting," "being correct," "succeeding," or "corresponding." Its meaning depends heavily on the context in which it's used. It can signify physical contact, achieving a target, being accurate, or being chosen or selected. It is a versatile word with a range of uses.

⚫︎ボールが頭に当たります。 Translation: The ball hits my head. ⚫︎宝くじが当たります！ Translation: I win the lottery! ⚫︎試験に当たりますように。 Translation: May I pass the exam. (I hope I pass the exam.)

You use 当たります (at[当たります]arimasu) in various situations: ⚫︎ When something physically hits something else. ⚫︎ When something is correct, accurate, or right. ⚫︎ When you win something like a lottery or prize. ⚫︎ When something corresponds or matches. ⚫︎ When you are chosen or selected for something. The specific nuance depends heavily on the surrounding words and the overall context of the sentence.

当たります (at[当たります]arimasu) is typically written in hiragana as あたります. The kanji form is 当たります, which combines the kanji 当 (at[当]a - to hit, be right, etc.) with the hiragana ending ります (rimasu - the polite present/future affirmative conjugation of a verb). The okurigana (the hiragana following the kanji) is always ります.

The synonyms of 当たります depend on the meaning you want to convey: ⚫︎ For "to hit" or "to strike": ぶつかります (butsukarimasu - to collide, to bump into) ⚫︎ For "to be correct": 正しいです (tadashii desu - it's correct) ⚫︎ For "to win": 勝ちます (kachimasu - to win) ⚫︎ For "to be selected/chosen": 選ばれます (erabaremasu - to be chosen) ⚫︎ For "to match/correspond": 合います (aimasu - to fit, to match)

The antonyms of 当たります also depend on the specific meaning: ⚫︎ For "to hit": 外れます (hazuremasu - to miss) ⚫︎ For "to be correct": 間違っています (machigatte imasu - it is mistaken) ⚫︎ For "to win": 負けます (makemasu - to lose) ⚫︎ For "to be selected": 外れます (hazuremasu - to be eliminated, to fail)

ボールが窓に当たり、ガラスが割れました。 ・Translation: The ball hit the window, and the glass broke. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 当たります to describe the physical act of the ball hitting the window.

この問題の答えは当たっています。 ・Translation: The answer to this question is correct. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 当たります to indicate that the answer is accurate.

The kanji 当(at[当]a) itself means "to hit," "to be right," "to be assigned," or "to correspond." The root meaning of the verb 当たります stems from the act of something making contact or achieving a target. The grammatical structure of 当たります comes from the verb stem of 当 combined with the verb ending.