固まる and 凝固: Setting Jelly and Gathering Participants
Read 固まる in jelly setting and people gathering, then compare 凝固 in cooled fat and blood coagulation. Identify the shared hardening sense and the separate gathering sense.
Jelly sets; participants gather
固まる (かたまる) can mean harden or gather. 「冷蔵庫に入れておいたゼリーがようやく固まった。」 — “The gelatin I put in the refrigerator finally set.” The gelatin finally set after being put in the refrigerator.
「記念撮影のため、参加者が入口付近に固まった。」 — “The participants gathered near the entrance for a group photograph.” The same form 固まった now has participants as its subject, so it means that they gathered. Read their location near the entrance together with the purpose of the photograph.
Fat solidifying and blood coagulating
凝固 (ぎょうこ) means solidification or coagulation. 「溶かした油は冷えると白く凝固した。」 — “The melted fat cooled and solidified into a white mass.” The melted fat cooled and solidified into a white mass; 凝固した describes that past change.
「検査では血液の凝固にかかる時間を測定した。」 — “The test measured how long the blood took to coagulate.” The action reported here is measuring the time taken for blood to coagulate. The measurement is not a statement that a normal range was met or a particular disease was identified.
A shared material sense and a gathering sense
The gelatin's 固まる and the fat's 凝固 both concern material becoming solid. Keep that overlap while reading the participants' 固まる as a separate gathering sense. Their bodies are not described as physically hardening.
Both fat and blood occur in the 凝固 examples, so the word is not limited to blood here. Follow the subject and the sentence's reference to photography, cooling, or measurement to identify the intended sense.
Do 「記念撮影のため、参加者が入口付近に固まった。」 and 「溶かした油は冷えると白く凝固した。」 describe the same kind of hardening?
Show the answer and why
No. The participants gathered near the entrance for a group photograph, while the melted fat cooled and solidified into a white mass. 固まる also has a material-hardening sense, but the photograph example uses its gathering sense. 凝固 is not limited to blood.