ひかえる

Japanese

Alternative spellings
控える扣える

Etymology

From Old Japanese 控ふ (hikapu), in the 下(しも)二(に)段(だん)活(かつ)用(よう) (shimo nidan katsuyō, “lower bigrade conjugation”) pattern.

Development

Natural progression from Old and Classical Japanese 下(しも)二(に)段(だん)活(かつ)用(よう) (shimo nidan katsuyō, “lower bigrade conjugation”) verbs ending in -u to modern Japanese 下(しも)一(いち)段(だん)活(かつ)用(よう) (shimo ichidan katsuyō, “lower monograde conjugation”) verbs ending in -eru.

Also conjugated as 控ゆ (hikayu), following 下二段活用 (shimo nidan katsuyō, “lower bigrade conjugation”), since the Muromachi period.^[1]^[2]
Derived as a compound of the 未然形 (mizenkei, “irrealis form”) of 引く (hiku, “to pull”) + ふ (-fu, repetitious suffix), with the 下二段活用 (shimo nidan katsuyō, “lower bigrade conjugation”) pattern.^[3] Compare 抑える (osaeru, “to hold back”), from 押す (osu, “to push”), and 伝える (tsutaeru, “to communicate”), from earlier 伝つ (tutu, “to communicate”).

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) ひかえる [hìkáéꜜrù] (Nakadaka – [3])^[3]^[4]^[5]
(Tokyo) ひかえる [hìkáꜜèrù] (Nakadaka – [2])^[3]^[4]
IPA^(key): [çi̥ka̠e̞ɾɯ̟]

Tokyo pitch accent of conjugated forms of 控える

Plain	控える	ひかえるひかえる	`[hìkáéꜜrù]` `[hìkáꜜèrù]`
Conjunctive	控えて	ひかえて	`[hìkáꜜètè]`
Perfective	控えた	ひかえた	`[hìkáꜜètà]`
Negative	控えない	ひかえない	`[hìkáéꜜnàì]`
Negative perfective	控えなかった	ひかえなかった	`[hìkáéꜜnàkàttà]`
Hypothetical conditional	控えれば	ひかえればひかえれば	`[hìkáéꜜrèbà]` `[hìkáꜜèrèbà]`
Past conditional	控えたら	ひかえたら	`[hìkáꜜètàrà]`
Imperative	控えろ控えよ	ひかえろひかえろひかえよひかえよ	`[hìkáéꜜrò]` `[hìkáꜜèrò]` `[hìkáéꜜyò]` `[hìkáꜜèyò]`
Volitional	控えよう	ひかえよー	`[hìkáéyóꜜò]`
Desiderative	控えたい	ひかえたい	`[hìkáétáꜜì]`
Formal	控えます	ひかえます	`[hìkáémáꜜsù]`
Formal negative	控えません	ひかえません	`[hìkáémáséꜜǹ]`
Formal volitional	控えましょう	ひかえましょー	`[hìkáémáshóꜜò]`
Formal perfective	控えました	ひかえました	`[hìkáémáꜜshìtà]`
Continuative	控え控えに	ひかえひかえに	`[hìkáꜜè]` `[hìkáꜜè nì]`
Negative continuative	控えず控えずに	ひかえずひかえずに	`[hìkáéꜜzù]` `[hìkáéꜜzù nì]`
Passive	控えられる	ひかえられる	`[hìkáéráréꜜrù]`
Causative	控えさせる控えさす	ひかえさせるひかえさす	`[hìkáésáséꜜrù]` `[hìkáésáꜜsù]`
Potential	控えられる控えれる	ひかえられるひかえれる	`[hìkáéráréꜜrù]` `[hìkáéréꜜrù]`

Verb

ひかえる • (hikaeru) ^{←ひかへる (fikaferu)^?}transitive or intransitive ichidan (stem ひかえ (hikae), past ひかえた (hikaeta))

(intransitive) wait nearby
(intransitive) be nearby, be at hand
(transitive) deal with, face, contend with
出(しゅっ)産(さん)をひかえた婦(ふ)人(じん)
shussan o hikaeta fujin
women facing childbirth
(transitive) refrain, restrain (oneself or oneself’s actions)
Synonym: 遠慮する (enryo suru)

手(て)拍(びょう)子(し)は控(ひか)えてください
tebyōshi wa hikaete kudasai
please do not clap to the beat
(transitive) cut back
(transitive) jot down
Synonym: メモする (memo suru)

Conjugation

Conjugation of "ひかえる" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs)
Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
Mizenkei ("imperfective")	ひかえ	hikae
Ren’yōkei ("continuative")	ひかえ	hikae
Shūshikei ("terminal")	ひかえる	hikaeru
Rentaikei ("attributive")	ひかえる	hikaeru
Kateikei ("hypothetical")	ひかえれ	hikaere
Meireikei ("imperative")	ひかえよ¹ ひかえろ²	hikaeyo¹ hikaero²
Key constructions
Passive	ひかえられる	hikaerareru
Causative	ひかえさせるひかえさす	hikaesaseru hikaesasu
Potential	ひかえられるひかえれる³	hikaerareru hikaereru³
Volitional	ひかえよう	hikaeyō
Negative	ひかえないひかえぬひかえん	hikaenai hikaenu hikaen
Negative continuative	ひかえず	hikaezu
Formal	ひかえます	hikaemasu
Perfective	ひかえた	hikaeta
Conjunctive	ひかえて	hikaete
Hypothetical conditional	ひかえれば	hikaereba

¹ Written imperative
² Spoken imperative
³ Colloquial potential

Derived terms

控(ひか)え室(しつ) (hikaeshitsu, “waiting room”)

References

^ Shinmura, Izuru, editor (1998), 広辞苑 [Kōjien] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN
^ Shōgaku Tosho (1988), 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
^ Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[1] Shinmura, Izuru, editor (1998), 広辞苑 [Kōjien] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN

[2] Shōgaku Tosho (1988), 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN

[DJR-3] 3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[NHK-4] 4.0 ^4.1 NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

[SMK5-5] Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

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