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So i was doing Kanji Quiz, and i stumbled with 塞ぐ Kanji. I know 閉じる is used for eyes,etc. But 塞ぐ also has the same definition with 閉じる.

Here are the definitions.

Definitions

塞ぐ

  1. to stop up; to close up; to block (up); to plug up; to shut up; to cover (ears, eyes, etc.); to close (eyes, mouth)
  2. ...

閉じる

  1. to close (e.g. book, eyes, meeting, etc.); to shut

Source : jisho.org

  • My Questions :
    1. What's the difference between them?
    2. Are both have the same nuance ?
    3. When to use ?
    4. Both are often used in daily ? (e.g. Daily Conversation , News, Educational term, etc)

Would be great if someone could provides some Example sentences too, Thank You in advance!

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    Granted, both terms include the sense of "close". However, consider the full context of related senses provided for each. One "close" is also "to block up, to shut off, to plug up". In English, we don't say "I blocked up the door" when we just mean closing it normally. Likewise, in Japanese, we don't say 「ドアを塞【ふさ】いだ」 for the same reason. If we are barricading the door for some reason, we might say these things, but otherwise it's a little weird.
    – Eiríkr Útlendi
    Commented Mar 2, 2021 at 19:44
  • I see. Easy to Understand !
    – lanolunip
    Commented Mar 3, 2021 at 3:00

1 Answer 1

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Dictionaries give multiple possible translations for a word so that you can understand the nuance of the verb. You should not ignore them.

ドアを閉じる means "to close an (open) door". ドアを塞ぐ means "to block/barricade/seal a door (so that it cannot be opened)". Likewise, 目を閉じる means "to close one's eyes (usually voluntarily)", whereas 目を塞ぐ "to cover (your own or someone else's) eyes (with the hands, etc)". Human beings cannot do 耳を閉じる or 鼻を閉じる, but they can do 耳を塞ぐ and 鼻を塞ぐ.

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  • Ahh... Okay.. Not to be confused with 閉める right ? 閉める (this one is rough/hard) / 閉じる (this one softer like) is like close something too but doesnt mean it's not that hard to open it again (because it's closed not blocked) .. and 塞ぐ is harder to open up because 'blocked' not normally closed ... does this suits with your explanation ?
    – lanolunip
    Commented Mar 3, 2021 at 3:01
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    @lanolunip ドアを閉じる and ドアを閉める are pretty much interchangeable, and neither is "harder" than the other. You can say 目を閉じる but not 目を閉める. The usage difference between 閉じる and 閉める can be difficult. See this. 塞ぐ is very different from the others.
    – naruto
    Commented Mar 3, 2021 at 4:05

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