Meaning

Primary

To Roll

Alternatives

To Tumble, To Lie Down, To Be Scattered About

Word Type

intransitive verb, godan verb

Explanation

You know that the kanji here means revolve. The verb version of this is similar. It means to roll or to tumble. When something is doing these things it is revolving, right?

Reading

ころがる
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

Since this word consists of a kanji with hiragana attached, you can bet that it will use the kun'yomi reading. You didn't learn that reading with this kanji, so here's a mnemonic to help you:

You know what's really easy to roll down a hill? Bottles of Corona (ころ). Just imagine yourself rolling one bottle of Corona after another down this hill like some kind of Corona Santa.

Context

Common Word Combinations

  • ビー玉が転がる

    a bead rolls

    石が転がる

    a rock rolls

    ボールが転がる

    a ball rolls

Context Sentences

ボールが転がる音がした。

There was a sound of a ball rolling.

毛虫なら、その辺りにたくさん転がってるでしょう。

For caterpillars, there are probably many lying down around there.

転がる石?イギリスのロックバンド「ザ・ローリング・ストーンズ」のことですか?

A rolling stone? Do you mean the English rock band The Rolling Stones?

Kanji Composition