当てる

Japanese

Alternative spelling
當てる (kyūjitai)

From Old Japanese 当つ (atu), following 下二段活用 (shimo nidan katsuyō, “lower bigrade conjugation”).

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.

当(あ)てる • (ateru) transitive ichidan (stem 当(あ)て (ate), past 当(あ)てた (ateta))

Japanese verb pair
active	当てる
mediopassive	当たる

to hit, to collide
to hit, to strike (a target)
矢(や)を的(まと)に当(あ)てる。
Ya o mato ni ateru.
(Someone) hits the target with an arrow.
to press against something, to apply
to guess right, to hit on, to choose correctly
物(もの)の色(いろ)を当(あ)てる
mono no iro o ateru
to guess the color of things
to aim or direct onto something
○○に光(ひかり)を当(あ)てる
○○ ni hikari o ateru
to shine light on X

○○に焦(しょう)点(てん)を当(あ)てる
○○ ni shōten o ateru
to put the spotlight on X; to focus on X

フォーカスを当(あ)てる
fōkasu o ateru
(computing) to focus

¹ Written imperative
² Spoken imperative
³ Colloquial potential

Classical conjugation of "当つ" (タ行下二段活用, see Appendix:Japanese verbs.)
Stem forms
Irrealis (未然形)	当て	あて	ate
Continuative (連用形)	当て	あて	ate
Terminal (終止形)	当つ	あつ	atu
Attributive (連体形)	当つる	あつる	aturu
Realis (已然形)	当つれ	あつれ	ature
Imperative (命令形)	当てよ	あてよ	ateyo
Key constructions
Negative	当てず	あてず	atezu
Contrasting conjunction	当つれど	あつれど	aturedo
Causal conjunction	当つれば	あつれば	atureba
Conditional conjunction	当てば	あてば	ateba
Past tense (firsthand knowledge)	当てき	あてき	ateki
Past tense (secondhand knowledge)	当てけり	あてけり	atekeri
Perfect tense (conscious action)	当てつ	あてつ	atetu
Perfect tense (natural event)	当てぬ	あてぬ	atenu
Perfect-continuative tense	当てたり	あてたり	atetari
Volitional	当てむ	あてむ	atemu