消します（けします、keshimasu）
- to delete

The Japanese verb 消します (pronounced けします - *kemasu*) primarily means "to turn off," "to erase," "to extinguish," or "to delete." It implies the act of making something disappear, cease to exist, or stop functioning. The specific meaning depends on the context of the sentence. It's a versatile verb with applications in various situations. The meaning can vary based on what is being 消します.

⚫︎電気を消します。 Translation: I turn off the lights. ⚫︎宿題の答えを消しゴムで消します。 Translation: I erase the answer to the homework with an eraser. ⚫︎火を消します。 Translation: I put out the fire.

⚫︎You use 消します when you want to describe the action of stopping something from being on or existing. ⚫︎It's used for turning off lights, electrical appliances, computers, and other devices. ⚫︎It's used for erasing things like text, marks on paper, or memories. ⚫︎It's also used for extinguishing fires or other flames. ⚫︎The appropriate form of 消します will vary depending on the level of politeness and the tense.

⚫︎The word is typically written with the kanji 消 and the hiragana します, giving 消します. ⚫︎Hiragana: けします ⚫︎The kanji 消 represents "to extinguish," "to eliminate," or "to disappear." ⚫︎The okurigana (suffix hiragana) is always します, but the verb stem 消 is what changes during conjugation.

⚫︎For "to turn off": オフにします (*ofu ni shimasu*) - This is a more direct translation of "to turn off." ⚫︎For "to erase": 消す (*kesu*) - This is the plain form of 消します. 削除します (*sakujo shimasu*) - To delete (computer data). ⚫︎For "to extinguish": 鎮火します (*chinka shimasu*) - To extinguish a fire.

⚫︎For "to turn on": つけます (*tsukemasu*) - To turn on. ⚫︎For "to create/make appear": 作ります (*tsukurimasu*) - To make. ⚫︎For "to light/ignite": 点けます (*tsukemasu*) - To light.

テレビを消します前に、番組の終わりまで見ます。 ・Translation: Before turning off the TV, I will watch until the end of the program. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 消します to describe the action of turning off the television set. The use of “前に” (before) shows the sequence of actions.

間違えたところは、消しゴムで消します。 ・Translation: I will erase the mistakes with an eraser. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 消します to indicate the action of erasing something, in this case, mistakes made while writing. This shows the usage in context of erasing something written.

The kanji 消 is composed of the radical 氵 (さんずい), which signifies "water," and the phonetic component 肖, which represents "to resemble" or "to be like." The combination of these elements originally implied "to diminish" or "to cause to disappear" similar to how water can dissolve or extinguish something. Over time, it developed into its modern meanings of turning off, erasing, and extinguishing.