# 凹む
## Japanese
### Etymology 1

* Kanji in this term
* 凹
* くぼ Grade: S
* kun'yomi
Verb derived from noun 凹 / 窪 (kubo, “an indentation, a depression”) + verbalizing suffix ぶ (bu, “becoming like [noun]”), with suffix ぶ (bu) mutating to む (mu) due to the preceding syllable ぼ (bo).

#### Alternative forms

* 窪む

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) くぼむ [kùbómú] (Heiban – [0])
* IPA: [kɯ̟bo̞mɯ̟]

#### Verb

凹(くぼ)む • (kubomu) intransitive godan (stem 凹(くぼ)み (kubomi), past 凹(くぼ)んだ (kubonda))
* to become hollow, cave in, sink in

##### Usage notes

The transitive form is 凹める / 窪める (kubomeru). Consequently, the potential form is the same as the passive form, くぼまれる (kubomareru), instead of くぼめる (kubomeru) as shown in the table above.
The spelling 窪む is used more often for くぼむ, because the alternative spelling 凹む can also be read as へこむ (see below).

##### Conjugation

Katsuyōkei ("stem forms") :
| Mizenkei ("imperfective") | 凹ま | くぼま | kuboma |
| Ren’yōkei ("continuative") | 凹み | くぼみ | kubomi |
| Shūshikei ("terminal") | 凹む | くぼむ | kubomu |
| Rentaikei ("attributive") | 凹む | くぼむ | kubomu |
| Kateikei ("hypothetical") | 凹め | くぼめ | kubome |
| Meireikei ("imperative") | 凹め | くぼめ | kubome |
| Key constructions ||||
| Passive | 凹まれる | くぼまれる | kubomareru |
| Causative | 凹ませる 凹ます | くぼませる くぼます | kubomaseru kubomasu |
| Potential | 凹める | くぼめる | kubomeru |
| Volitional | 凹もう | くぼもう | kubomō |
| Negative | 凹まない | くぼまない | kubomanai |
| Negative continuative | 凹まず | くぼまず | kubomazu |
| Formal | 凹みます | くぼみます | kubomimasu |
| Perfective | 凹んだ | くぼんだ | kubonda |
| Conjunctive | 凹んで | くぼんで | kubonde |
| Hypothetical conditional | 凹めば | くぼめば | kubomeba |

### Etymology 2

* Kanji in this term
* 凹
* へこ Grade: S
* kun'yomi
/herikomu/ → /hekomu/
Contraction of 減りこむ (herikomu), itself a compound of 減り (heri, “lessening, becoming less”, the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of verb 減る heru, “to reduce, to become less”) +‎ 込む (komu, “to go inwardly”).

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) へこむ [hèkómú] (Heiban – [0])
* IPA: [he̞ko̞mɯ̟]
* Tokyo pitch accent of conjugated forms of 「凹む」
Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary :
| Stem forms ||||
| Terminal (終止形) Attributive (連体形) | 凹む | へこむ | [hèkómú] |
| Imperative (命令形) | 凹め | へこめ | [hèkómé] |
| Key constructions ||||
| Passive | 凹まれる | へこまれる | [hèkómárérú] |
| Causative | 凹ませる | へこませる | [hèkómásérú] |
| Potential | - | - | - |
| Volitional | 凹もう | へこもー | [hèkómóꜜò] |
| Negative | 凹まない | へこまない | [hèkómánáí] |
| Negative perfective | 凹まなかった | へこまなかった | [hèkómánáꜜkàttà] |
| Formal | 凹みます | へこみます | [hèkómímáꜜsù] |
| Perfective | 凹んだ | へこんだ | [hèkóńdá] |
| Conjunctive | 凹んで | へこんで | [hèkóńdé] |
| Hypothetical conditional | 凹めば | へこめば | [hèkóméꜜbà] |

#### Verb

凹(へこ)む • (hekomu) intransitive godan (stem 凹(へこ)み (hekomi), past 凹(へこ)んだ (hekonda))
* to become hollow, cave in, sink in: see the kubomu reading above
* to decline below a certain point, to become less
* to be stuck to be at a loss: see 困る (komaru).
* to yield, to submit
* (informal) to be depressed; to be bummed out
    うまくできなくて凹(へこ)む
       umaku dekinakute hekomu
       to fail to do it well and get bummed out

##### Conjugation

Katsuyōkei ("stem forms") :
| Mizenkei ("imperfective") | 凹ま | へこま | hekoma |
| Ren’yōkei ("continuative") | 凹み | へこみ | hekomi |
| Shūshikei ("terminal") | 凹む | へこむ | hekomu |
| Rentaikei ("attributive") | 凹む | へこむ | hekomu |
| Kateikei ("hypothetical") | 凹め | へこめ | hekome |
| Meireikei ("imperative") | 凹め | へこめ | hekome |
| Key constructions ||||
| Passive | 凹まれる | へこまれる | hekomareru |
| Causative | 凹ませる 凹ます | へこませる へこます | hekomaseru hekomasu |
| Potential | 凹める | へこめる | hekomeru |
| Volitional | 凹もう | へこもう | hekomō |
| Negative | 凹まない | へこまない | hekomanai |
| Negative continuative | 凹まず | へこまず | hekomazu |
| Formal | 凹みます | へこみます | hekomimasu |
| Perfective | 凹んだ | へこんだ | hekonda |
| Conjunctive | 凹んで | へこんで | hekonde |
| Hypothetical conditional | 凹めば | へこめば | hekomeba |

### References

* 1 2 Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
* 1 2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN