はまります（はまります、hamariまsu）
- to be hooked on

The Japanese verb はまります, in its dictionary form, はまる, means to "get hooked on," "to be absorbed in," "to be into," or "to become obsessed with" something. It describes the state of being deeply interested in, or passionate about, a particular activity, hobby, person, or thing. It often implies a significant investment of time, energy, and interest. The [はまります] also suggests a positive experience, something enjoyable and engaging. The degree of [はまります] can vary, from casual interest to a full-blown obsession. The subject that "gets hooked" or "is into" is typically marked with the particle に.

⚫︎ ゲームにはまっています。 Translation: I am into games. ⚫︎ 彼女はドラマにはまっている。 Translation: She is hooked on the drama. ⚫︎ 最近、筋トレにはまっています。 Translation: Recently, I’ve been into weight training.

⚫︎Use はまります when you want to express that you, or someone else, has developed a strong interest in something. ⚫︎It's common in casual conversation, among friends, and online. ⚫︎You can use it to talk about hobbies, entertainment, studies, work, or even relationships. ⚫︎The subject of はまります is usually a person (like "I," "she," "he," "they") and the object, marked by に, is the thing someone is interested in. ⚫︎The tense can change based on the context: はまります (present), はまりました (past), はまる (dictionary form), はまって (te-form, used for "-ing").

⚫︎This word is typically written in hiragana as はまります. ⚫︎The dictionary form is はまる. ⚫︎There aren't other ways to write this word. The use of kanji 嵌まる is possible, but it's not common, and many Japanese people do not know it. ⚫︎The okurigana (the suffix hiragana) is usually written as まります and まる (dictionary form).

⚫︎ 夢中になる (muchuu ni naru) - to be absorbed in, to be crazy about. ⚫︎ 熱中する (necchuu suru) - to be absorbed in, to be enthusiastic about. ⚫︎ 好きになる (suki ni naru) - to come to like, to become fond of. ⚫︎ ハマる - (Romanization of [はまる]), which is a very casual, common way to say [はまります].

⚫︎ There is no direct antonym, but you could express the opposite meaning by saying someone loses interest in something. ⚫︎ 飽きる (akiru) - to get tired of, to get bored of. ⚫︎ 興味がなくなる (kyoumi ga naku naru) - to lose interest.

私はアニメにはまって、毎日見ています。 ・Translation: I am hooked on anime and watch it every day. ・Explanation: This sentence explains that the speaker has developed a strong interest in anime and spends a lot of time watching it.

彼は新しいゲームにはまって、寝る時間も惜しんでいる。 ・Translation: He is hooked on the new game and is even begrudging the time he spends sleeping. ・Explanation: This sentence expresses that someone is very into the game and to the point that they are sacrificing sleep time to play it.

The word はまる comes from the verb 嵌まる, which originally meant "to fit into" or "to be caught in". This concept expanded to describe a situation where someone gets "caught up" or "stuck in" an interest or activity, thus becoming "hooked".