Meaning & Usage
✨ Basic Meaning
To get used to; to become accustomed to; to habituate oneself to.
🎯 Primary Function
To express the process or state of adaptation to a new environment, situation, or routine.
📋 Grammar Structure
[Noun] + に + 慣れる (nareru) / [Verb Plain Form] + こと + に + 慣れる
Not applicable. This pattern attaches to Nouns or nominalized clauses.
Not applicable. This pattern attaches to Nouns or nominalized clauses.
[Noun] + に + 慣れない (narenai) / 慣れていない (narete inai)
🎭 Usage Contexts
Formal Situations
Used professionally to describe adaptation (e.g., an employee getting used to a new role).
Informal Situations
Very common in casual conversations when discussing daily life changes, travel, or school.
Written Language
Used in essays, reports, and personal correspondence regarding lifestyle changes.
Spoken Language
Highly frequent, particularly in the form 慣れてきた (narete kita) to describe ongoing adaptation.
💡 Common Applications
Adapting to a New Environment or Situation
Used when talking about adapting to new places, climates, or general life changes.
Example: 海外の生活に慣れる (Kaigai no seikatsu ni nareru)
Adjusting to Routines or Skills
Used for mastering a new skill, routine, system, or mechanism.
Example: 新しいパソコンの操作に慣れる (Atarashii pasokon no sōsa ni nareru)
Accepting Unfamiliar Things (Food, Habits)
Used for becoming accustomed to something that was initially disliked or uncomfortable.
Example: 満員電車に慣れる (Man’in densha ni nareru)
Frequency
High (Very common in daily conversation)
Difficulty
N3 (Essential Intermediate)
Tag:
Example Sentences
Example #1
私はやっと日本の生活に慣れてきました。
Furigana: わたしは やっと にほんの せいかつに なれてきました。
Romaji: Watashi wa yatto Nihon no seikatsu ni narete kimashita.
English: I have finally gotten used to life in Japan.
Example #2
彼は新しい仕事のやり方に慣れるまで時間がかかった。
Furigana: かれは あたらしい しごとの やりかたに なれるまで じかんが かかった。
Romaji: Kare wa atarashii shigoto no yarikata ni nareru made jikan ga kakatta.
English: It took him time to get used to the new way of working.
Example #3
最初は納豆が苦手でしたが、今ではその味に慣れました。
Furigana: さいしょは なっとうが にがてでしたが、いまでは その あじに なれました。
Romaji: Saisho wa nattō ga nigate deshita ga, ima de wa sono aji ni naremashita.
English: At first, I didn’t like natto, but now I’m used to its taste.
Example #4
この国の暑い気候に慣れるのは大変だろう。
Furigana: この くにの あつい きこうに なれるのは たいへんだろう。
Romaji: Kono kuni no atsui kikō ni nareru no wa taihen darō.
English: It will probably be difficult to get used to the hot climate of this country.
Example #5
夜中の騒音に慣れてしまい、もう気にならない。
Furigana: よなかの そうおんに なれてしまい、もう きにならない。
Romaji: Yonaka no sōon ni narete shimai, mō ki ni naranai.
English: I got used to the noise late at night, so it doesn’t bother me anymore.
Example #6
早起きすることに慣れたので、毎日快適だ。
Furigana: はやおきすることに なれたので、まいにち かいてきだ。
Romaji: Hayaoki suru koto ni nareta node, mainichi kaiteki da.
English: Since I’ve gotten used to waking up early, every day is comfortable.
Example #7
彼女はまだ東京の満員電車に慣れていない。
Furigana: かのじょは まだ とうきょうの まんいん でんしゃに なれていない。
Romaji: Kanojo wa mada Tōkyō no man’in densha ni narete inai.
English: She is still not used to the packed trains in Tokyo.
Example #8
もう少し頑張れば、きっとこの環境に慣れることができる。
Furigana: もうすこし がんばれば、きっと この かんきょうに なれることができる。
Romaji: Mō sukoshi ganbareba, kitto kono kankyō ni nareru koto ga dekiru.
English: If you try a little harder, you can surely get used to this environment.
Example #9
まずは職場の雰囲気に慣れてください。
Furigana: まずは しょくばの ふんいきに なれてください。
Romaji: Mazu wa shokuba no fun’iki ni narete kudasai.
English: First, please get used to the atmosphere of the workplace.
Example #10
このスピードで話されることに、いつか慣れますか？
Furigana: この スピードで はなされることに、いつか なれますか。
Romaji: Kono supīdo de hanasareru koto ni, itsuka naremasu ka?
English: Will I ever get used to being spoken to at this speed?
Notes & Nuances
📌 Important Points
The Target is Marked by に (ni)
The particle **に** (ni) is essential. It indicates the object or situation one is adapting *to*. It functions similarly to “to” in the English phrase “get used **to** something.”
Example: この仕事に慣れるまで、サポートします。
Expressing Gradual Change: 〜てくる
Using the Te-form + くる (慣れてくる) emphasizes the ongoing, gradual process of adaptation, meaning “to gradually become accustomed to.” This is very common.
Example: やっと一人暮らしに慣れてきた。
Using 慣れない as an Adjective
The verb 慣れる can also be used as a noun modifier (慣れない Noun) to mean “unfamiliar” or “unaccustomed.”
Example: 慣れない手つきで包丁を使った。
⚠️ Common Mistakes
❌ 新しい環境**を**慣れました。
✅ 新しい環境に慣れました。 (Atarashii kankyō ni naremashita.)
The particle **に** is mandatory as it marks the target of the habituation. Using を or が is a common error.
❌ 私は納豆に慣れない。 (Used incorrectly to mean a current state.)
✅ 私は納豆に慣れていない。 (Watashi wa nattō ni narete inai.)
慣れる is an intransitive verb. To express the current state of *not* being accustomed, use the TE form + いる in the negative (慣れていない).
❌ 早起き**するに**慣れた。
✅ 早起き**することに**慣れた。 (Hayaoki suru koto ni nareta.)
When attaching 慣れる to a verb phrase, the verb must be nominalized using **こと** or **の**.
🏛️ Cultural Context
Politeness Level: Neutral/Standard. Politeness is determined by the conjugation (e.g., 慣れます vs. 慣れる).
Social Situations: Crucial for discussing personal growth, work training, or settling into a new location. It is a polite way to acknowledge difficulty while expressing eventual success in adaptation.
Regional Variations: The usage is standard across all regions of Japan.
🔍 Subtle Differences
に慣れる (ni nareru) vs. に馴染む (ni najimu)
慣れる focuses on internal habituation (getting used to the routine, climate, taste). 馴染む focuses on external blending (fitting in with a group of people, becoming familiar with a place’s atmosphere).
When to use: Use 慣れる when discussing physical or mental adaptation to a system or thing. Use 馴染む when discussing social integration or feeling comfortable in a specific environment.
に慣れる (ni nareru) vs. 順応する (jun’nō suru)
慣れる is a natural, often unconscious process of adaptation. 順応する is more formal, implying conscious, active adjustment or compliance, often to environmental or social demands (e.g., natural selection).
When to use: Use 慣れる in daily conversation. Use 順応する in formal or academic contexts discussing high-level adaptation.
📝 Conjugation Notes
慣れる is an Ichidan verb (る-verb). It conjugates regularly: 慣れます (polite), 慣れた (past), 慣れない (negative), 慣れて (te-form). It is frequently used in the form 慣れてくる (narete kuru) to emphasize a gradual process of adaptation.
🔊 Pronunciation Tips
The sound is なれる (NA-RE-RU), with the ‘re’ sound being a quick flap. Be careful not to confuse it with 寝る (neru, to sleep) or 練る (neru, to refine/polish).
🧠 Memory Tips
Think of the kanji 慣 (なれ) as representing a heart (心) wrapped up by a covering, suggesting that something foreign is being absorbed and becoming part of you. Link it to the word 習慣 (shūkan, habit).
Other Grammar
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