逃げます（にげます、nigemasu）
- to escape

The Japanese verb 逃げます (にげます) means "to run away," "to escape," "to flee," or "to avoid." It implies leaving a place or situation to get away from something dangerous, unpleasant, or unwanted. The core idea is avoiding something by moving away. The meaning can vary based on the context, but the central theme remains the same: an action to avoid. The verb describes the act of escaping something.

⚫︎泥棒は警察から逃げました。 Translation: The thief ran away from the police. ⚫︎彼は宿題から逃げました。 Translation: He avoided his homework. ⚫︎火事から逃げてください！ Translation: Please escape from the fire!

逃げます is a versatile verb. It can be used in a variety of situations. ⚫︎ It can describe physical flight from danger, as in escaping from a fire or a criminal running away. ⚫︎ It can describe avoiding something, like avoiding responsibilities or a difficult task. ⚫︎ The formality level can be modified through the conjugation (e.g., 逃げる (nigiru) for the plain form, 逃げました (nigemashita) for past tense). ⚫︎ It is usually used in conversations when someone wants to emphasize the act of escaping, avoiding, or fleeing something.

⚫︎ The verb 逃げます is most commonly written in hiragana as にげます. ⚫︎ The kanji form is 逃げます. ⚫︎ The base form of the verb is 逃げる (nigeru). ⚫︎ The ます form indicates politeness. ⚫︎ The okurigana (送りがな) – the hiragana attached to the kanji – is always げ.

⚫︎ 避ける (sakeru): to avoid (generally avoids situations, can be less intense than 逃げる). ⚫︎ 脱出する (dasshutsu suru): to escape, to break out (often used in more dramatic situations, like escaping a prison). ⚫︎ 逃亡する (toubou suru): to flee, to escape (often used to describe fugitives from the law).

⚫︎ 立ち向かう (tachimukau): to confront, to face. ⚫︎ 立ち止まる (tachidomaru): to stop, to halt. ⚫︎ 立ち向かう: is used when someone faces a problem instead of 逃げます.

彼は責任から逃げました。 ・Translation: He ran away from his responsibilities. ・Explanation: This sentence demonstrates 逃げます being used to describe avoiding one's obligations.

その犬は私から逃げました。 ・Translation: That dog ran away from me. ・Explanation: This is an example of 逃げます used to describe physical flight.

The verb 逃げる (nigeru) comes from the kanji 逃 (ni-geru), which represents the idea of "to escape" or "to flee." The addition of the suffix げる (geru) transforms the kanji into a verb. The etymology doesn't have a controversial explanation.