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

Conjugation of "遊ぶ" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs)
Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
Mizenkei ("imperfective") 遊ば あそば asoba
Ren’yōkei ("continuative") 遊び あそび asobi
Shūshikei ("terminal") 遊ぶ あそぶ asobu
Rentaikei ("attributive") 遊ぶ あそぶ asobu
Kateikei ("hypothetical") 遊べ あそべ asobe
Meireikei ("imperative") 遊べ あそべ asobe
Key constructions
Passive 遊ばれる あそばれる asobareru
Causative 遊ばせる
遊ばす
あそばせる
あそばす
asobaseru
asobasu
Potential 遊べる あそべる asoberu
Volitional 遊ぼう あそぼう asobō
Negative 遊ばない あそばない asobanai
Negative continuative 遊ばず あそばず asobazu
Formal 遊びます あそびます asobimasu
Perfective 遊んだ あそんだ asonda
Conjunctive 遊んで あそんで asonde
Hypothetical conditional 遊べば あそべば asobeba
Classical conjugation of "遊ぶ" (バ行四段活用, see Appendix:Japanese verbs.)
Stem forms
Irrealis (未然形) 遊ば あそば asoba
Continuative (連用形) 遊び あそび asobi
Terminal (終止形) 遊ぶ あそぶ asobu
Attributive (連体形) 遊ぶ あそぶ asobu
Realis (已然形) 遊べ あそべ asobe
Imperative (命令形) 遊べ あそべ asobe
Key constructions
Negative 遊ばず あそばず asobazu
Contrasting conjunction 遊べど あそべど asobedo
Causal conjunction 遊べば あそべば asobeba
Conditional conjunction 遊ばば あそばば asobaba
Past tense (firsthand knowledge) 遊びき あそびき asobiki
Past tense (secondhand knowledge) 遊びけり あそびけり asobikeri
Perfect tense (conscious action) 遊びつ あそびつ asobitu
Perfect tense (natural event) 遊びぬ あそびぬ asobinu
Perfect-continuative tense 遊べり
遊びたり
あそべり
あそびたり
asoberi
asobitari
Volitional 遊ばむ あそばむ asobamu

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
  • Ineko Kondō, Fumi Takano, Mary E. Althaus, et al. (2002), Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary, third edition, Tokyo: Shōgakukan, →ISBN