# Race to the Cake 🍰

**URL:** <https://community.wanikani.com/t/race-to-the-cake/27014>\
**Category:** WaniKani\
**Created:** [January 31, 2018, 9:28am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/race-to-the-cake/27014 "2018-01-31T09:28:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 809

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**Author:** ![chiasa](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/chiasa/32/35320_2.png) [@chiasa](https://community.wanikani.com/u/chiasa)\
**Post date:** [June 10, 2018, 4:55am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/race-to-the-cake/27014/809 "2018-06-10T04:55:43Z")

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I used 捕えるin the previous example, but talking with some Japanese people, they said that my sentence is unnatural (using either verb) anyway.

> [@Exanimus](#):
>
> Jisho still kind of has “to grasp a concept” under the meanings, but maybe that’s technically for the other kanji?

According to my coworkers, 捉える (とらえる, same pronunciation) is used for more abstract concepts and 捕まえる is used for “moving/elusive objects,” such as a thief/泥棒 (どろぼう). So although the words are similar and the pronunciation is the same, the kanji is different. I imagine if you used it in conversation, you’d be understood based on context. (The example under [jisho.org](http://jisho.org) uses both kanji 捉える, and 捕える in the example sentence with the meaning, “to grasp,” which may be a mistake?) Reference [here](https://xn--n8j9do164a.net/archives/6189.html) (Japanese only).

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