取り替えます（とりかえます、torikaemasu）
- to exchange

取り替えます means "to exchange," "to replace," or "to swap" something with something else. It implies a change from the original item to a new one, often because the original is broken, worn out, or no longer wanted. This can apply to various objects, including things like batteries, clothes, or even information. The action emphasizes the substitution of one thing for another.

⚫︎電池を取り替えます。 Translation: I will replace the batteries. ⚫︎古い服を新しい服に取り替えます。 Translation: I will exchange old clothes for new clothes. ⚫︎壊れた部品を取り替えます。 Translation: I will replace the broken part.

⚫︎You would use 取り替えます when you're talking about replacing one thing with another. ⚫︎It's common in situations where something is being substituted, changed, or swapped out. ⚫︎This verb is suitable for both formal and informal conversations, depending on the context and the level of politeness of other words used in the sentence. For instance, 取り替えます itself is a polite form.

⚫︎It is typically written in hiragana as とりかえます or in kanji and hiragana as 取り替えます. ⚫︎The kanji 取り (tori) means "taking" or "handling" and 替えます (kaemasu) means "to change" or "to exchange." ⚫︎The okurigana (hiragana attached to the kanji) is 替えます. ⚫︎The base form is 取り替える (torikaeru) and the ます-form (polite form) is 取り替えます.

⚫︎交換します (koukan shimasu) - to exchange, to swap ⚫︎交換する (koukan suru) - to exchange, to swap (dictionary form) ⚫︎代える (kaeru) - to replace (more general, also in dictionary form) ⚫︎替える (kaeru) - to change, to exchange (dictionary form) ⚫︎置き換える (okikaeru) - to replace (literally, to put in place of)

⚫︎There is no single direct antonym. You could consider words related to keeping or retaining, like: ⚫︎そのままにする (sonomama ni suru) - to leave as is ⚫︎維持する (iji suru) - to maintain ⚫︎保管する (hokan suru) - to store

この電球は切れました。新しい電球に取り替えます。 ・Translation: This light bulb has burned out. I will replace it with a new light bulb. ・Explanation: The sentence explains that because the old light bulb is broken, it will be substituted with a new one.

このシャツはサイズが小さいので、大きいサイズに取り替えます。 ・Translation: This shirt is too small, so I will exchange it for a larger size. ・Explanation: The sentence uses 取り替えます to indicate exchanging the shirt for one of a different size.

⚫︎The word is formed from the verb 替える (kaeru), meaning "to change" or "to exchange," and the prefix 取り (tori-), which gives the verb a sense of "handling" or "taking" the thing to be changed. ⚫︎The combination creates a nuance of physically taking something away and replacing it with something else.