潜ります（もぐります、mogurimasu）
- to dive

The Japanese verb 潜ります, pronounced もぐります (mogu-rimasu), primarily means "to dive," "to submerge," or "to go under." It describes the action of going beneath the surface of something, typically water, but it can also refer to other scenarios where something goes below a visible level or surface. It implies entering or existing in a hidden or concealed space. It also can mean to "delve into" or "investigate deeply" a topic.

⚫︎ 海に潜ります。 Translation: I dive into the sea. ⚫︎ プールに潜ります。 Translation: I'll dive into the pool. ⚫︎ 問題の核心に潜ります。 Translation: I'll delve into the core of the problem.

⚫︎ Use 潜ります when talking about the act of going underwater for recreation (diving, snorkeling), work (such as underwater construction), or survival. ⚫︎ It's also applicable when something disappears beneath a surface, like a submarine 潜水艦潜水艦 diving. ⚫︎ The word is used metaphorically for investigating something deeply or thoroughly. ⚫︎ It is a formal verb and can be used in both formal and informal conversations.

⚫︎ The base form is 潜る (moguru). ⚫︎ The polite form is 潜ります (mogu-rimasu). ⚫︎ The verb is typically written with the kanji 潜 and the hiragana り, ま, す. ⚫︎ Other conjugations include 潜らない (mogura-nai, won't dive), 潜った (mogutta, dived), 潜れば (mogureba, if you dive). ⚫︎ The okurigana is り.

⚫︎ 潜水する (sensui suru): to dive (more formal and specific for diving) ⚫︎ 水に潜る (mizu ni moguru): to dive into water. ⚫︎ 沈む (shizumu): to sink. ⚫︎ 潜入する (sennyuu suru): to infiltrate, penetrate. ⚫︎ 入り込む (iriko-mu): to go into, to enter (can be used metaphorically).

⚫︎ 浮く (uku): to float ⚫︎ 現れる (arawareru): to appear, to emerge ⚫︎ 出る (deru): to exit, to come out

私は毎朝海に潜ります。 ・Translation: I dive in the sea every morning. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the action of diving in the sea, using the polite form 潜ります.

彼は秘密の場所に潜りました。 ・Translation: He went into a secret place. ・Explanation: This sentence describes someone going to a place that is hidden or secret. The usage of 潜りました潜りました implies that he went beneath something visible.

The kanji 潜 itself conveys the meaning of hiding or being submerged. The word 潜る likely evolved from the need to describe the action of going under or hiding beneath a surface, whether it be water, the earth, or other surfaces. It is used since the early modern period.