earticle

영어

‘Akeru’ and ‘hiraku’ share a meaning which is to make a way for men, animals or air to get in or out in a closed space. ‘Akeru’ has a feature of opening in one direction, whereas ‘hiraku’ of opening left and right, in both directions. In the case of windows, therefore, when it is a sliding window ‘akeru’ is used, and when an opening and shutting door ‘hiraku’ is used. From the fundamental motion described above, we can infer that ‘akeru’ indicates a motion opening doors, covers, curtains and etc. and meanings of opening the door of a store for business and of making way for men to pass by. In the case of ‘hiraku’, on the other hand, other than the meanings it shares with ‘akeru’, indicates meanings of ‘flowers blooming’, ‘business opening’, ‘holding an event’, ‘opening the door for the countries outside’, ‘opening up a new field’ and etc. from its fundamental meaning of opening in left and right directions. ‘Akeru’ describes concrete meanings, whereas ‘hiraku’ describes abstract meanings as well as concrete meanings. In the case of ‘mitiwo akeru/hiraku’, the former describes the meaning that a man standing in a way stands aside for other people to pass by, and the latter describes the meaning of opening up a new way.