The Meaning of atsumeru [集める] In Japanese

集める
あつめる
Romaji: atsumeru N5

What does 集める mean?

Translation and Meaning

to collect, to gather, to assemble

Definition

What does 集める mean? It means to bring things together by gathering or collecting them, or to amass items, information, or people into a group or pile.

Type

Verb (ru-verb, transitive)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • to collect physical items or resources (atsumeru)
  • to gather information or data from multiple sources (atsumeru)
  • to assemble people or a crowd (atsumeru)
  • to accumulate resources or money over time (atsumeru)

Composition

  • 集: core meaning to gather, assemble
  • める: kana suffix turning 集 into the transitive verb stem
  • る: dictionary-form ending used for ru-verbs

Usage

Used to describe the act of collecting or gathering tangible items, data, or people; used in both casual speech and formal writing; transitive with a direct object; contrasts with 集まる, which means to come together.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: picture a big magnet labeled with 集 pulling scattered items into a neat pile, and think atsumeru as the act of summing items into one group.

Variations

  • 収集する (しゅうしゅうする) — to collect in a systematic or catalogued way (shūshū suru)
  • 集積する (しゅうせきする) — to accumulate or pile up (shūseki suru)
  • 取り集める (とりあつめる) — to gather together from various sources (toriatsumeru)
  • 散らす (ちらす) — to scatter, the opposite nuance (chirasu)

Example Phrases

  • 私は物好きで、珍しい器を集めるのが趣味だ。
    Watashi wa monozuki de, mezurashii utsuwa o atsumeru no ga shumi da.
    I’m the kind of person who loves things, and collecting rare dishes is my hobby.
    Lista:
    • 私は (watashi wa) – I
    • 物好きで (monozuki de) – fond of things
    • 珍しい (mezurashii) – rare
    • 器を (utsuwa o) – dishes
    • 集める (atsumeru) – to collect
    • のが (no ga) – the act of
    • 趣味だ (shumi da) – is a hobby
    Here 「物好き」 is a noun meaning ‘fond of things’ and is used with で to indicate a state or trait.
  • 来年 は 進学 を 目指し 志望校 の 資料 を 集める
    rainen wa shingaku o mezashi shiboukou no shiryou o atsumeru
    Next year, I aim for higher education and gather information on my preferred schools.
    Lista:
    • 来年 (rainen) – next year
    • は (wa) – topic marker
    • 進学 (shingaku) – advancing to higher education
    • を (o) – object marker
    • 目指し (mezashi) – aiming for
    • 志望校 (shiboukou) – school of choice
    • の (no) – possessive
    • 資料 (shiryou) – materials
    • を (o) – object marker
    • 集める (atsumeru) – to gather
    The target word is 「進学」, meaning moving on to higher education. Here it functions as the object of 目指す (to aim for).
  • 近所の イベント で 募金 を 集める。
    Kinjo no ibento de bokin o atsumeru.
    I collect donations at a neighborhood event.
    Lista:
    • 近所の (kinjo no) – neighborhood’s
    • イベント (ibento) – event
    • で (de) – at
    • 募金 (bokin) – donations
    • を (o) – direct object marker
    • 集める (atsumeru) – to collect
    集める is a transitive verb meaning 「to collect」; in this sentence it takes the object 「募金」 and uses the location particle 「で」 after 「近所のイベント」 to indicate where the collecting happens.
集める