音読み: ダイ・タイ
訓読み: かわる・かえる・しろ
画数: 5
部首: 亻（にんべん）
Meaning
Substitute / Replace / Generation / Price
- Basic forms
- 代わる — to replace; to take someone’s place; to switch / base form
- 代わります — (it) replaces; (someone) takes over / masu form
- 代わった — replaced; changed / ta form
- 代わって — replace and …; please replace / te-form
- 代わらない — does not change / negative form
- 代われば — if it changes; if (someone) takes over / conditional
- 代われ — take over! / imperative
- Other common forms
- 電話を代わる — to take the phone for someone
- 担当が代わった — the person in charge changed
- 気が代わる — mood changes (slightly figurative)
- More
- 代わろう — let’s switch; let’s take turns / 〜よう form
- 代わらなかった — didn’t change / past negative
- 代わっている — is replacing / is functioning as / progressive/state
代わる（かわる） is a **godan る-verb**. It means “to take someone’s place,” “to change,” or “to switch roles.” Common expressions include 電話を代わる (“take over the phone”) and 交代する (“alternate / take turns”).
- 代わる — to substitute
- 時代 — era, period
- 代表 — representative
- 交代 — alternation, change
- 代金 — price, payment
- 現代 — modern times
The kanji 代 combines 亻 (person) and 弋 (a phonetic element). It originally meant a person taking someone else's place, and now covers meanings like substitution, generation, or cost.
彼が 私の代りに行きました。
He went in my place.
この時代は 情報が 力です。
In this era, information is power.
代表 — representative