遊ぶ

Japanese

Etymology

Kanji in this term
あそ
Grade: 3
kun'yomi

From Old Japanese. First attested in the Kojiki of 712 CE.[1] From Proto-Japonic *asonpu.

Pronunciation

  • Tokyo pitch accent of conjugated forms of 遊ぶ
Plain 遊ぶ そぶ [àsóbú]
Conjunctive 遊んで そんで [àsóńdé]
Perfective 遊んだ そんだ [àsóńdá]
Negative 遊ばない そばない [àsóbánáí]
Negative perfective 遊ばなかった そばなかった [àsóbánáꜜkàttà]
Hypothetical conditional 遊べば そべ [àsóbéꜜbà]
Past conditional 遊んだら そんだ [àsóńdáꜜrà]
Imperative 遊べ そべ [àsóbé]
Volitional 遊ぼう そぼ [àsóbóꜜò]
Desiderative 遊びたい そびたい [àsóbítáí]
Formal 遊びます そびま [àsóbímáꜜsù]
Formal negative 遊びません そびませ [àsóbímáséꜜǹ]
Formal volitional 遊びましょう そびましょ [àsóbímáshóꜜò]
Formal perfective 遊びました そびました [àsóbímáꜜshìtà]
Continuative 遊び
遊びに
そび
そびに
[àsóbí]
[àsóbí ní]
Negative continuative 遊ばず
遊ばずに
そばず
そばずに
[àsóbázú]
[àsóbázú ní]
Passive 遊ばれる そばれる [àsóbárérú]
Causative 遊ばせる
遊ばす
そばせる
そばす
[àsóbásérú]
[àsóbású]
Potential 遊べる そべる [àsóbérú]

Verb

(あそ) • (asobuintransitive godan (stem (あそ) (asobi), past (あそ)んだ (asonda))

  1. play, amuse oneself, enjoy oneself
  2. spend one's time idle, do nothing
  3. for an item not to be in use, be spare or idle

Usage notes

Unlike "play" in English, this term is applied to both children and adults. (This leads to usage errors such as "I enjoy playing with my girlfriend on weekends.") It is used broadly for any enjoyable activity such as socializing.

Conjugation

Derived terms

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 あそ・ぶ 【遊】”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎[1] (in Japanese), 2nd edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2000-2002, released online 2007, →ISBN, concise edition entry available here
  2. ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  3. ^ Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1974), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Second edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō
  4. ^ Nakai, Yukihiko, editor (2002), 京阪系アクセント辞典 [A Dictionary of Tone on Words of the Keihan-type Dialects] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Bensei, →ISBN
  • 2002, Ineko Kondō; Fumi Takano; Mary E Althaus; et. al., Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary, Third Edition, Tokyo: Shōgakukan, →ISBN.