* 育つ (sōdachi): This is a general word for "to grow," often used for plants, animals, and children. It implies a natural process of development.
* 成長する (seichō suru): This means "to grow," "to develop," or "to mature." It's a more formal and often used for people, businesses, or economies.
* 伸びる (nobiru): This means "to grow" (in length or height), often used for plants or things that extend.
* 増える (fueru): This means "to increase" or "to grow in number," used for quantities or populations.
* 育てる (sodateru): This means "to raise," "to cultivate," or "to nurture," implying active care in the growing process. This is used when *someone* is doing the growing.
To choose the right word, you need to consider the context. For example:
* The plant is growing: 植物が育つ (shokubutsu ga sodatsu) or 植物が伸びる (shokubutsu ga nobiru)
* The child is growing: 子供が育つ (kodomo ga sodatsu) or 子供が成長する (kodomo ga seichō suru)
* The business is growing: 事業が成長する (jigyō ga seichō suru) or 事業が増える (jigyō ga fueru)
Therefore, there's no single "grow" equivalent. You need to select the word that best fits the specific context.