変わる
kawaru
/kaꜜwaɾɯ/
Definition
To change or become different; to shift from one state to another.
Example
季節が変わると、木の葉も色が変わる。
Show translation
When the season changes, the leaves on the trees change color too.
Etymology
From Classical Japanese 変はる (kawaru), combining the root meaning "to differ/change" (kawari). Related to 変える (kaeru, "to change something" — the transitive counterpart). The kanji 変 (hen) carries the sense of transformation or strangeness, also seen in 変化 (henka, "change") and 変わった (kawatta, "unusual/strange").
Cultural note
Japanese carefully distinguishes intransitive 変わる (something changes on its own) from transitive 変える (someone changes something). Mixing these up is a very common learner error. In daily conversation, 変わった can also mean "odd" or "eccentric" — e.g. 変わった人 means "a strange/unique person," not just "a person who changed."