和らぐ

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 和らぐ is read as やわらぐ and is an intransitive verb meaning that the intensity of tension, heat, or another condition naturally eases.
• Basic usage: Describing tension easing after music appears in 緊張が和らぐ, while describing heat subsiding in the evening appears in 暑さが和らぐ.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Distinction from 和らげる
  • When a condition eases, as in 緊張が和らぐ, use the intransitive 和らぐ; use transitive 和らげる when someone reduces its intensity.