I'm looking for input on which Japanese words most naturally express the concept of dents/indentations. This is an extremely basic concept that absolutely every human language has words to express, although it can be hard for a student to know which words are most applicable in each case.
As we all are aware, dictionaries often do not provide enough information to glean a sense of which word applies in which situation, and which term is more natural versus uncommon or strange. Obviously, I know that words like 穴, 凹み, 虚ろ, 圧痕, 空洞 all show up in the dictionary, and I'm familiar with the first 2 (穴, 凹み), but I don't know more than that.
This table of images I carefully put together myself is meant to tease out the different real-life examples where various words might apply. I think the word "dents" applies roughly to all of them, although other words like "cavities, concavities, cavitations, craters, hollows, press marks, holes, dimples, concaves, indentations, impressions, dints, dips, pits, notches" fit some images more than others.
I posted a sister post 3 months ago asking about the opposite: ways to express the concept of "bump, protrusion". Many reactions to that post were negative, but hopefully this post is better worded and better received. Naturally, I understand that there often isn't a 1:1 perfect equivalent match between Japanese and English terms, and I think I should have made it clear that's not what I'm implying or looking for. Quite the opposite actually; that's why I created this table of images to depict varying situations.
I hope this is helpful for others, too! Some of the replies last time were amazing. Thanks!
Edit: Thanks everyone!! It seems like 凹み(へこみ) is emerging as the most generally/widely applicable term, although there are other specific words too. I'm very grateful for this contextual info that you can't find in a dictionary.
1凹み
2凹み/えくぼ/デント
3凹み
4 凹み/クレーター
5手形の凹み
6凹み
7穴/気泡痕(きほうこん)
Very helpful, thank you. 気泡痕 doesn't even show up in my dictionary, so I never would have seen that. Very specific.
Crater is a funny translation. 5 is closer to hand print(hand shape indentation) which is also similar to english.
It’s understandable but just to illustrate how it may be different depending on the person: The last one to me is more a 凹み as it feels too shallow to call it 穴 for some reasons. I would add 4, 6, 7 a 窪み（くぼみ） and don’t use えくぼ for 2. And I also reserve クレーター for smaller rough skin surface. I’ve probably never heard or seen the word 気泡痕 but it immediately guessable.
えくぼ is used metaphorically in the Kansai region. 気泡痕 is a term commonly used in the painting industry, the construction industry, and related news articles.
there's also 窪み (kubo-mi)
凹み can also be read as kubo-mi, but usually it's heko-mi.
I think 窪み are natural dents, while 凹み are artificial dents often due to some accident.
Ooo, that's great info. I had no idea. Thank you!
凹み 凹み 凹み 凹み 凹み 凹み 穴
Well that keeps it simple. Thank you.
Pic 4 is killing me
Hahaha me too
I don't know when I will meet a guy in Japan with a crater in his head, but when I do, I'll be ready. 🧐
These are the important things we need to know, gotta be ready for anything! 😆
As a native speaker, I’d probably call all the images from 1 to 6 "凹み" (hekomi).
Thinking about the difference between "凹み" and "窪み", I feel that "凹み" tends to be used for things that are artificial or temporary, while "窪み" is used for things that are natural or permanent. For example, a crater on the moon is a "窪み."
I’d say "凹み" applies to things that will eventually flatten out naturally or can be easily fixed.
Photo 7 is tricky, but I think many people would call it an "穴" (ana).
Whether it’s an air bubble in cheese or the texture of a sponge, "穴" seems to be used for the marks left after something has popped.
For instance, even if the size and shape are identical, a crater from a meteorite would be a "窪み," but a crater from a bomb would be an "穴."
Fascinating!! This was extremely insightful, thank you for those explanations. This also seems to agree really well with what u/SweetBeanBread (also a native speaker) commented:
Photo 7 is a little tricky from an English perspective, too. When speaking quickly and without great precision, I think most English speakers would not give a second thought or doubt if someone described those cratering pockmarks as little "dents" or "holes". But, if someone wanted to try to be very accurate and precise, then those marks probably wouldn't be called "dents" per se, because the word "dent" implies indentation: being pressed in. And maybe they're a little too shallow for the word "hole". Rather, the craters formed by air bubbles, etc, probably might be more accurately referred to as "cavitations" or "hollows" or "concaves" or "craters". But, a word like "dent" is so much more commonly used that I think many people would simply say "dent" because it comes to mind quickest.
By the way, what would you call the dimples on a golf ball in Japanese? (in English, "dimple" is often used for bodies, but it can be for other things too, such as "dimpling" in manufacturing)
Hmm, we call those "窪み" or simply "dimples."（ディンプル）
Looking at this example, I think the difference is that "窪み" refers to the intended or original form, whereas "凹み" implies that the original shape has been damaged or lost.
all the people with trypophobia 💀
I know only number 5.. in my native language. Do you guys really have different words for each one?
Number 5 in English is probably best expressed as "impression" or "indentation". E.g. "His arm left an impression in the mud." "There was an impression of a body in the wet concrete from when Sarah fell in and had to be lifted out via ropes."
へこみ(凹み)
This word seems to be the most popular candidate. Thanks.
My wife, Japanese, says "its all へこみ/凹み"
Thanks, that also seems like what a number of Japanese people are saying. Seems like "へこみ" is perhaps the most universal and easily applicable general term. This is exactly the kind of info no dictionary can tell you that I was hoping to learn!
Dent, dent, indentation, 'round the corner chocolate's made.
That 4th pick is me after I use the wrong reading of 月 on vocab words in wanikani
Can I ask what app/service this is? Trying to learn but I've decided that duolingo suuuuucks.
Was reading/seeing it like くぼみ、くぼみ、くぼみ、...🤣
OP are you okay? Didn't you ask this (almost?) same thing 2 months ago?
Did you read what I wrote? I explicitly mention the previous post. This question is about "dent", the previous post is about "bump". Maybe read past the title?
Lol i read through the past one. What the heck is up with the adverse reaction. This kind of way of learning to differentiate between similar concepts is extremely useful.
Though I think actually the most accurate version of course starts with the concepts you're trying to learn and it then explains those. Basically just show a bunch of examples of a thing and we will learn what those are. Like mental Venn diagrams.
Ah so this thing is a bump while that over here is a lump. But this third thing could be either one depending on what you want to describe it as.
Thanks. I'm now realizing that probably the biggest factor was my very poorly-received awkward sense of humor. I like to be a little dramatic "ONCE AND FOR ALL!!" because I think it'll make people chuckle, but it seems to have pissed people off instead.
This post I refrained from that kind of attempt at humor and now this post seems to be doing well in terms of reactions, so my failed humor is probably the main difference.