怠る...怠ける...あれ？

[ThePacster]

Evening everyone.

I've hit a roadblock in my studies and I'm hoping someone can help straighten this out for me.

I'm been toiling away with my books prepping for JLPT in december, and this question has left me stumped.

安全管理を (a. 怠る ・ b. 怠ける) と、重大な事故につながる。

While their meanings are essentially the same, I realize there is a slight nuance in there meanings. However, in this example I can't discern a different large enough to warrant one over the other.

If there are any linguistic masters out there, your help is sorely needed.

[Ongakuka]

Having read this, I *think* it should be 怠る。 But I don't know (still able to pass N1 though )

(By the way, at your level you can look things up like I did, just type 怠ると怠けるの違い into Google.)

http://okwave.jp/qa/q5071755.html

EDIT: Goo dictionary has this interesting graph:　http://goo.gl/GtLiQ

[ThePacster]

I've looked at dictionary.goo.ne.jp and have spent at least 2 hours digging through places such as http://okwave.jp/qa/ where Japanese people ask and answer each other questions.

I even tried asking one of my house mates (Japanese guy) and he just said remember those words together, as well as several other things that contradict most of the results I've found online. I don't think remembering this particular example will help me if I had to discern the difference between 怠ける and 怠る in a different scenario, plus the reason behind it is driving me crazy.

[NileCat]

If I have to simplify the difference, I’d say that’s neglect vs. idle, I guess, though.

A good example sentence for you to remember the difference might be like this:
彼は怠けていて、安全管理を怠った。

Also, 怠ける does not necessarily take an object whereas 怠る requires one.