When we talk about farming, or collecting fruits and vegetables from a field, we use the verb 収穫する (しゅうかくする). It means 'to harvest' or 'to gather a crop'.
For example, farmers 収穫する their crops when they are ready. You can also use it for collecting things like grapes or oranges.
Think of it as the action of bringing in all the good food that has grown.
When we talk about crops like fruits or vegetables, and it's time to pick them from the farm, the Japanese word for this action is 収穫する (しゅうかくする).
You use it when you want to say that farmers are collecting their produce after it has grown. It's about bringing in what has been cultivated.
Think of it as the process of gathering the harvest.
When you hear 収穫する (しゅうかくする), think about gathering a crop from a field. It specifically refers to the act of harvesting agricultural products like vegetables, fruits, or grains.
For example, if you grow tomatoes, the act of picking ripe tomatoes from the plant is 収穫する. You might also hear it in a more metaphorical sense, like 「努力が実を結び、成果を収穫する」 (Your efforts bore fruit, and you harvested the results), meaning your hard work paid off and you gained benefits.
Let's dive into a useful Japanese verb: 収穫する (しゅうかくする), which means 'to harvest'. This isn't just for farmers, though that's a key part of its meaning. You'll hear this word in various situations, from talking about agriculture to more abstract ideas of gaining results.
§ Basic Meaning of 収穫する
At its core, 収穫する refers to the act of gathering crops. Think of rice, vegetables, or fruit. When they're ready, you 収穫する them.
- Japanese Word
- 収穫する (しゅうかくする)
- Meaning
- To harvest; gather (a crop) as a harvest.
- CEFR Level
- B1
§ Examples in Context
Let's look at some practical examples so you can see how 収穫する is used in everyday Japanese.
農家は秋に米を収穫する。
- Translation Hint
- Farmers harvest rice in the fall.
私たちは庭でトマトを収穫した。
- Translation Hint
- We harvested tomatoes in the garden.
§ Beyond Crops: Broader Uses
While it's often used for literal harvesting, 収穫する can also refer to gaining results or benefits from effort. It's a bit like saying 'reap the rewards' in English.
長年の研究の成果を収穫する時が来た。
- Translation Hint
- It's time to reap the results of many years of research.
今回のプロジェクトで大きな経験を収穫した。
- Translation Hint
- I gained significant experience from this project. (Literally: harvested great experience)
§ Where You'll Hear This Word
You'll encounter 収穫する in a few key areas:
- Agriculture and Food News: This is the most obvious place. News reports about farming, crop yields, and seasonal produce will frequently use this word. You might hear about the 稲の収穫 (ine no shuukaku - rice harvest) or 野菜を収穫する (yasai o shuukaku suru - to harvest vegetables).
- Business and Economics: When talking about the outcomes or gains from investments, projects, or business strategies, 収穫する can be used. For instance, speaking about the 'fruits' of labor or investment.
- Education and Research: As seen in one of the examples above, researchers and students might talk about 収穫する the results of their studies or experiments. It signifies gaining valuable knowledge or data.
- General Conversation (Figurative Use): In more informal settings, people might use it figuratively to express gaining something valuable from an experience, even if it's not a tangible 'crop'. It emphasizes the idea of effort leading to a positive outcome.
Understanding 収穫する will help you grasp not only agricultural topics but also more abstract discussions about outcomes and achievements in various aspects of Japanese life. Pay attention to the context to understand if it's a literal harvest or a figurative one.
Examples by Level
今年の夏、私たちは庭でたくさんのトマトを収穫しました。
This summer, we harvested many tomatoes in the garden.
農家の人々は、早朝から作物の収穫に励んでいます。
Farmers are busy harvesting crops from early in the morning.
機械を使うことで、大規模な畑でも効率よく収穫できます。
By using machines, even large fields can be harvested efficiently.
手作業でブドウを収穫するのは大変な仕事です。
Harvesting grapes by hand is hard work.
収穫したばかりの野菜は新鮮でとても美味しいです。
Freshly harvested vegetables are very fresh and delicious.
この地域では、秋になるとリンゴを収穫するのが恒例です。
In this region, harvesting apples in autumn is an annual custom.
収穫祭では、豊かな実りに感謝します。
At the harvest festival, we express gratitude for the abundant harvest.
彼は自分の努力が実を結び、ようやく成功を収穫した。
His efforts bore fruit, and he finally reaped success.
Can be used metaphorically for achieving results or success.
Often Confused With
作物 means 'crop' or 'produce'. You 収穫する (harvest) 作物.
収穫期 means 'harvest season'. It's the period when you 収穫する (harvest).
農家 means 'farmer'. Farmers often 収穫する (harvest) their crops.
Easily Confused
Both 収穫する and 刈り取る relate to gathering crops. 刈り取る specifically means to 'cut and reap' or 'mow down' a crop.
While 収穫する is a general term for 'to harvest', 刈り取る emphasizes the action of cutting down plants during the harvest process, often with tools like a sickle.
米を刈り取る (kome o karitoru) - to harvest/cut rice.
Both involve picking or gathering, which can be part of harvesting.
摘む is used for picking smaller items like flowers, fruits, or leaves by hand (e.g., picking tea leaves, plucking flowers). 収穫する is a broader term for harvesting crops.
お茶の葉を摘む (ocha no ha o tsumu) - to pick tea leaves.
採る has a general meaning of 'to take' or 'to gather', which can overlap with harvesting.
採る is a very general verb for 'to take', 'to collect', or 'to gather' resources (e.g.,採る can be used for taking vegetables from a garden, but 収穫する implies the full process of bringing in a crop). It's broader than 収穫する.
山菜を採る (sansai o toru) - to gather wild edible plants.
This verb can mean 'to store' or 'to put away', which is often the final step after harvesting.
収穫する is the act of harvesting the crop itself. 収める is about storing or putting something away after it has been gathered or collected. For example, you 'harvest' the crops and then 'store' them.
倉庫に収める (sōko ni osameru) - to store in a warehouse.
This means 'to take in' or 'to adopt', and can sometimes be used in the context of 'bringing in' crops.
While 取り入れる can mean 'to bring in' crops, especially in a metaphorical sense (like 'bringing in' the harvest season), 収穫する specifically refers to the act of gathering the crops. 取り入れる is more versatile, also meaning 'to adopt' or 'to incorporate'.
新しい技術を取り入れる (atarashii gijutsu o toriireru) - to adopt new technology.
Word Family
Nouns
Test Yourself 42 questions
農家は秋に米を___。
The farmer 'harvests' rice in the autumn. 食べる (to eat), 買う (to buy), and 作る (to make) do not fit the context.
私たちは庭で野菜を___。
We 'harvest' vegetables in the garden. 見る (to see), 洗う (to wash), and 植える (to plant) do not fit the context of 'taking out' ready vegetables.
果物をたくさん___。
You 'harvest' a lot of fruit. 飲む (to drink), 開ける (to open), and 閉める (to close) do not fit the context.
じゃがいもを___のが楽しいです。
It's fun to 'harvest' potatoes. 読む (to read), 書く (to write), and 聞く (to listen) do not fit the context.
来週、いちごを___つもりです。
I plan to 'harvest' strawberries next week. 歌う (to sing), 話す (to speak), and 走る (to run) do not fit the context.
子供たちは畑でトマトを___手伝いました。
The children helped to 'harvest' tomatoes in the field. 寝る (to sleep), 遊ぶ (to play), and 座る (to sit) do not fit the context.
What did they harvest a lot of this summer?
When do farmers harvest vegetables?
What is being asked for help with?
Read this aloud:
畑でじゃがいもを収穫しました。
Focus: しゅうかく
You said:
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Read this aloud:
リンゴを収穫するのは楽しいです。
Focus: たのしい
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
来週、米を収穫します。
Focus: らいしゅう
You said:
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農家は秋に米を＿＿＿。
The farmer harvests rice in the autumn. 収穫する (shūkaku suru) means 'to harvest'.
果物を＿＿＿のは楽しいです。
It's fun to harvest fruits. 収穫する (shūkaku suru) means 'to harvest'.
私たちは庭で野菜を＿＿＿。
We harvested vegetables in the garden. 収穫する (shūkaku suru) means 'to harvest'.
今年のじゃがいもはたくさん＿＿＿できました。
We were able to harvest a lot of potatoes this year. 収穫 (shūkaku) is the noun form, meaning 'harvest'.
父は毎年、ぶどうを＿＿＿。
My father harvests grapes every year. 収穫する (shūkaku suru) means 'to harvest'.
この地域では、お茶を＿＿＿のが主な仕事です。
Harvesting tea is the main job in this region. 収穫する (shūkaku suru) means 'to harvest'.
What do farmers harvest at the end of summer?
What does the speaker like doing with their home-grown vegetables?
How was this year's apple harvest?
Read this aloud:
彼らは秋に米を収穫する予定です。
Focus: しゅうかく
You said:
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Read this aloud:
いつジャガイモを収穫しますか？
Focus: いつ
You said:
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Read this aloud:
私は農場で働いて作物を収穫するのを手伝いました。
Focus: てつだい
You said:
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This sentence means 'It's time for farmers to harvest apples.' The particles 'は' (wa) and 'を' (o) mark the topic and direct object respectively, and '時期です' (jiki desu) means 'it is time.'
This sentence translates to 'This year's grapes were a good harvest, and we were able to harvest a lot.' '今年の' (kotoshi no) means 'this year's', '豊作で' (housaku de) means 'good harvest, and', and 'できた' (dekita) means 'was able to do'.
This sentence means 'They engaged in the work of harvesting tea leaves from early morning.' '彼らは' (karera wa) means 'they', '早朝から' (souchou kara) means 'from early morning', and '作業に取り組んだ' (sagyou ni torikunda) means 'engaged in the work'.
農業では、作物を育てるだけでなく、それを収穫する適切な時期を見極めることも重要です。
文脈は農業における作物の育成とその後の行為について述べており、「育てるだけでなく、それを〇〇する」という流れから、「収穫する」が最も適切です。
彼は家族のために、庭で育てた野菜を丁寧に収穫した。
「庭で育てた野菜を」という文脈から、育った野菜を「収穫した」という行為が自然な流れとなります。
この地域では、毎年秋にリンゴを収穫する大規模なイベントが開催されます。
「毎年秋にリンゴを〇〇する」という文脈は、季節の行事としてリンゴを「収穫する」ことを指しています。
漁師は魚を「収穫する」と言うのが一般的である。
「収穫する」は主に農作物に対して使われる言葉であり、魚に対しては「漁獲する」や「捕獲する」などが適切です。
ビジネスにおける成果や利益も比喩的に「収穫」と表現されることがある。
「努力が実を結び、大きな収穫があった」のように、ビジネスでの成功や利益を比喩的に「収穫」と表現することがあります。
収穫とは、作物を育てるための土壌を準備する作業のことである。
収穫とは、育った作物を畑などから取り入れる作業のことであり、土壌の準備とは異なります。
This sentence means 'Farmers carefully determine the timing to harvest their crops.'
This sentence translates to 'This year's abundant harvest can be said to be the fruit of the farmers' long years of effort.'
This sentence means 'Sustainable agriculture is important for future generations as well.'
/ 42 correct
Perfect score!
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This Word in Other Languages
More nature words
～上
B1Above; on top of; up.
〜の上
A2On top of, above, upon.
豊か
B1Abundant; rich; plentiful (na-adjective).
〜に従って
B1According to, in conformity with, as (something happens).
酸性雨
B1Acid rain.
営み
B1Activity; daily life; undertaking (e.g., life's activities).
順応する
B1To adapt; to adjust; to conform.
~を背景に
B1Against the backdrop of; with...as background.
空気
A2air
大気汚染
B1Air pollution; the presence of harmful substances in the air.
