冷める／冷える

[anrakushi]

Hey everyone,

冷める (さめる）and 冷える（ひえる）

I'm wondering how these two are used differently. they are both intransitive verbs and relate to cooling/getting cold. apparently even some Japanese use these two incorrectly but i would like to understand them completely so i can use them correctly. using the correct one in the correct situation each time. My friend, who is Japanese and a teacher was unable to help me however she is working on it. if she gives me a good answer before anyone else here then i'll let you all know for those interested.

hopefully someone is up to the challenge because my teaching friend has got pretty upset that she can't help me to understand.

[Nattybumppo]

The differences are indeed subtle. Here are definitions of the two:

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冷える:
1. To lose heat; to become cold. Also, to feel chilly.
2. (Of an interest or emotion) To go away.

冷める
1. To lose heat; to decrease in temperature.
2. (Of a strong emotion or feeling) To decrease in intensity.

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As you can see, they're pretty similar. However, 冷える seems a bit "colder," and is the verb of choice in sentences like this:

夜は冷えるから、風邪をひかないように！
It gets cold at night, so be careful not to catch a cold!

冷める is used differently; instead of reaching a state of chilly, "brrr" cold like 冷える, 冷める is more often used to describe something reaching a state of thermal equilibrium with its surroundings. It's often used for describing hot liquids cooling to a lukewarm temperature, like in the following sentence:

お茶を冷めないうちに飲みなさい。
Drink your tea before it gets cold.

Note that this usage of "gets cold" in English doesn't actually mean that the drink is getting cold; it means that it's becoming the same temperature as the surrounding air. 冷める is used like this.

Their usages with respect to emotions and interests tend to be more similar than their applications to concrete objects, where the difference between the two verbs is easier to see.

I hope that clears up things a bit.

[enyafriend]

And to add to that, in summer, we eat ひやしラメンand ひややこ、 and drink cold sake (冷や).

[anrakushi]

thank you very much for that. your explanation was great. it literally gave me a headache trying to figure this out with my friend. really, thank you very much for that. hopefully i can help out a few people around here in the same way you just helped me. im stubborn that i won't move on from something until i understand it.. so now i can continue with my studies thanks~

[Nyororin]

I was always under the assumption that 冷える is something that just happens - but that 冷める is something that happens due to direct involvement of some factor.

It is a hard thing to explain... But if I were to talk about being cold, I would never use 冷める. It`s something that happens to things - like the previous example of the soup getting cold. But 冷える is more abstract, like "I`m cold", or "It`s cold outside."

Maybe like the difference between the all encompassing "cold" and "chilled". Chilled implies the direct temperature, while "cold" could have a variety of meanings.

Sorry I`m not more help. It is just one of those words that you know but can`t explain clearly.

[Nattybumppo]

Originally Posted by Nyororin

I was always under the assumption that 冷える is something that just happens - but that 冷める is something that happens due to direct involvement of some factor.

Aren't you mixed up? "Chilled beer" would be 冷えたビール. I think you have the words backwards.

[Nyororin]

Originally Posted by Nattybumppo

Aren't you mixed up? "Chilled beer" would be 冷えたビール. I think you have the words backwards.

No, I`m quite certain that I don`t have them mixed up. Being as I live here, and have a native speaker right next to me.

You can say 冷える天気, but you can`t say 冷める天気.

I think that my explanation just isn`t the best. I`m a lot better at explaining English in Japanese - not so wonderful at it the other way around.

[Nattybumppo]

Originally Posted by Nyororin

You can say 冷える天気, but you can`t say 冷める天気.

Yes, I know this. How does this support your claim that "冷める is something that happens due to direct involvement of some factor?" How is 「お茶が冷める」 a better example of "direct involvement of some factor?"

You said this:

Originally Posted by Nyororin

Maybe like the difference between the all encompassing "cold" and "chilled". Chilled implies the direct temperature, while "cold" could have a variety of meanings.

So you're saying that "chilled" implies direct involvement (true), but that 冷める is used for direct involvement? So you're saying that 冷めた means "chilled?" No, it doesn't. A "chilled beer" is not 冷めたビール. It's 「冷えたビール」.

[Nyororin]

I should have known better than to attempt to explain something coherently at 3 something in the morning with a sick kid on one side and a sick husband on the other!

I didn`t mean direct involvement of a factor, I meant direct involvement of a specific object. Unless we`re talking about emotions, *something* specific has to 冷める, while 冷える can be used in a more abstract way. You can often use 冷える in place of 冷める without sounding too weird, but you can`t do it the other way around.

That`s what I *meant* to say.

I apologize for my crappy reasoning skills. I stopped myself from replying to it in a half-asleep state the first time around, but guess I was too far gone the second time I noticed the topic.