Is there another vocab specifically for “to widen” or is this just an oversight? I keep getting this wrong because the first translation that comes to mind when I see that vocab is “to widen”… even though I do know the other ones… just reflex
There is. It’s 広げる. But it’s not on WK.
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Aaaah… didn’t know Wanikani skipped words for Kanji it already thought 
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Well, 広がる is a relatively new addition and it’s inclusion was probably due to its use in news coverage for the current pandemic.
広げる is the transitive version of the pair.
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If it didn’t skip any words, it would take a very long time to get anywhere 
Anyhow, as long as you understand what the word means, you can add any synonym you like to the accepted. I recommend looking at some example sentences to see if the useage of 広がる matches what you think of when you mean “widen”.
(Personally, I like “to spread (out)” here because it works both for physical and more abstract spreading.)
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didn’t know that! But tbh, it would make sense if they would put the pair in as to avoid confusion like this. Not sure if there are other examples further ahead. All of these transitive versions always get me confused so it’s a shame. But i’ll just add a note somewhere about it and that’s the end of it haha
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That is true… but skipping pairs that people can get confused with seems counter-productive.
I can actually change the accepted? Whaat? I probably wouldn’t do that now since I just learned that 広げる is a thing BUT it’s good to know.
Do you guys know if there is a function to show similar Kanjis/Vocabs in Wanikani?
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If you go to the item information on WK and scroll down it will list visually similar Kanji.
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To widen can also be intransitive, I think, so still valid.
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Holy shi*! Did not know that! Thank you!
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haha and the plot thickens!
I think adding “to widen” as a synonym for this is pretty valid: Ideally you want to remember that it’s intransitive, so the subject is the thing that is widening (by itself). But even if you forget that tidbit, context should make it clear when you encounter it.
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I think 広がる just has more of a spreading out/stretching out nuance. Wouldn’t something like 広くなる fit “to widen” in the intransitive sense better?
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Looking at 広がる vs 広い in Jisho’s sentence search makes me think that 広がる is more often metaphorical, while 広い is more often physical. And yes, “to spread out” works more often as a translation for the metaphorical usage, though “to widen” sometimes works as well.
My point is that if you put in “to widen” as your answer, it might not be the most precise answer, but it’s conceptually close enough that I wouldn’t get hung up on it.
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There is also のばす for stretching. Did you check whether the Japanese use 広がる to mean stretching?
I guess it all depends on what is stretching.
A very good point. I would primarily use the word “widen” in abstract contexts (such as “widen the search” or “widen the gap [social/economical/etc.]”, and a few sentence searches do suggest that 広げる can work in these senses.
However, the question one should always ask oneself when adding new synonyms is what image the gloss conjures up in your head, and then checking if that matches usage in Japanese.
For example, I tend to use “to stretch out” primarily in the transitive sense and to describe physical stretching of elastic material, so I wouldn’t use it for 広がる. However, if the image it gives you matches 広がる, that’s a good synonym.
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