転覆
てんぷく
noun, suru-verb
overturning; capsizing; toppling (a regime)
Conjugation
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Present | 転覆する | 転覆しない |
| Present polite | 転覆します | 転覆しません |
| Past | 転覆した | 転覆しなかった |
| Past polite | 転覆しました | 転覆しませんでした |
| て form | 転覆して | 転覆しなくて |
| ている present | 転覆している | 転覆していない |
| ている polite | 転覆しています | 転覆していません |
| ている past | 転覆していた | 転覆していなかった |
| ている past polite | 転覆していました | 転覆していませんでした |
| Conditional ば | 転覆すれば | 転覆しなければ |
| Conditional たら | 転覆したら | 転覆しなかったら |
| Volitional | 転覆しよう | — |
| Volitional polite | 転覆しましょう | — |
| Potential | 転覆できる | 転覆できない |
| Passive | 転覆される | 転覆されない |
| Causative | 転覆させる | 転覆させない |
| Imperative | 転覆しろ | 転覆するな |
1.
overturning; capsizing; derailment (of a vehicle, boat, or train)
The physical event of a vehicle or vessel turning upside down or being knocked off its proper position. Typical subjects include trains, boats, cars, and trucks. Used both for accidents (intransitive sense) and deliberate sabotage (transitive sense).
船が転覆した。
The boat capsized.
大型トラックが急カーブで転覆した。
A large truck overturned on a sharp curve.
台風による高波で漁船が転覆し、乗組員三名が行方不明となった。
A fishing boat capsized in high waves caused by the typhoon, and three crew members went missing.
2.
overthrow (of a government); toppling (a regime)
Figurative use referring to the violent or political downfall of a government, regime, or established order. Often appears in news reports about coups, revolutions, and conspiracies.
政府の転覆を企てる。
To plot the overthrow of the government.
反乱軍は現政権の転覆を目指している。
The rebel forces are aiming to overthrow the current regime.
歴史の中で独裁政権が民衆の蜂起によって転覆された例は少なくない。
Throughout history, there have been many cases of dictatorial regimes being overthrown by popular uprisings.
Composed of 転 ('to roll, turn over') + 覆 ('to cover, to overturn'). Both characters convey the idea of inversion, reinforcing the meaning of being turned upside down.
USAGE:
- Functions as both an intransitive event (the boat capsized) and a transitive action (someone overturns the regime), depending on what marks the subject.
- {〜が転覆する}: the vehicle/vessel/regime overturns (intransitive use)
- {〜を転覆する/転覆させる}: someone overturns the vehicle/vessel/regime (transitive use)
- Sense 1 is common in news reports of accidents involving boats, trucks, and trains.
- Sense 2 belongs to formal/political language and is rare in everyday conversation.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 船が転覆する: the boat capsizes
- 列車が転覆する: the train derails and overturns
- 政府を転覆する: to overthrow the government
- 政権を転覆させる: to topple a regime
- 転覆事故: an overturning accident
- 国家転覆: overthrow of the state (set legal/political term)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- ひっくり{返る}: to turn over; to flip over — the everyday native verb; used for any object flipping over (cup, table, boat) and is far more common in casual speech.
- 打倒: overthrow; defeating — implies bringing down a person, organization, or system through struggle, often used in slogans (e.g., 独裁打倒).
- 覆す: to overturn (a decision, theory, situation) — used figuratively for upending judgments, expectations, or established knowledge, not physical objects.
- 座礁: running aground — specific to ships hitting the bottom; not the same as overturning.