超{こ}える, 越{こ}える and 過{す}ぎる are said to mean "to pass through" in the "edict" dictionary, but I don't fully understand the difference between the three.
How does their usage differ please? Can anyone provide any relevant examples?
One example that I'd like to express, but don't quite know how to, is how to say "to pass a peak of a mountain" or "to pass a peak point on a graph", but I'm not even sure these are the right words to do that.
Answer
過{す}ぎる implies the process of passing though. 越{こ}える and 超{こ}える mean 'exceed'. In this example:
× 20kgを過{す}ぎる荷物{にもつ}は機内{きない}に持{も}ち込{こ}めません。
20kgを超{こ}える荷物{にもつ}は機内{きない}に持{も}ち込{こ}めません。
the weight of a luggage is a static property, and a luggage does not grow, so 過{す}ぎる cannot be used. In this example:
目的{もくてき}地{ち}を過{す}ぎてしまった。
△ 目的{もくてき}地{ち}を超{こ}えてしまった。
過{す}ぎる is more appropriate than 超{こ}える because there is no inherent notion of excess among locations (unless a context is set such as to provide the origin of measurement). Rather, the process of passing through is the intention of this expression.
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