おく・置くoku[0]heiban (flat)
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- godan verb, transitive verbto put; to place
- godan verb, transitive verbto leave (behind)
- godan verb, transitive verbto establish (an organization, a facility, a position, etc.); to set up
- godan verb, transitive verbto appoint (someone to a certain position); to hire; to employ
- godan verb, transitive verbto place (one's trust, one's faith, etc.); to bear (in mind, etc.)
- godan verb, transitive verbto put down a tool (e.g. a pen) hence stopping what one is doing with that tool
- godan verb, transitive verbto take in (boarders, etc.); to provide lodging in one's house
- godan verb, transitive verbto separate spatially or temporally
- godan verb, auxiliary verbto do something in advanceafter the -te form of a verb
- godan verb, auxiliary verbto leave something in a certain state; to keep something in a certain stateafter the -te form of a verb
Conjugation
| Dictionary form | おく |
|---|---|
| Polite (masu) | おきます |
| Negative (nai) | おかない |
| polite (masen) | おきません |
| classical zu / nu | おかず・おかぬ |
| Past (ta) | おいた |
| polite (mashita) | おきました |
| Past negative (nakatta) | おかなかった |
| polite (masen deshita) | おきませんでした |
| Te form | おいて |
| Potential | おける |
| Passive | おかれる |
| Causative | おかせる |
| Causative passive | おかせられる・おかされる |
| Conditional (ba) | おけば |
| tara | おいたら |
| Volitional | おこう |
| polite (mashou) | おきましょう |
| Imperative | おけ |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
- Synonym配するはいするWrittenWritten/formal prose for placing or arranging people and things in suitable positions, as in 「要所に人を配する」.
- Synonym配すはいすWrittenSame meaning as 「配する」 — arranging or assigning people and things — but written/formal prose and less common.
- Related充てるあてるNeutralAssigns money, time or people to a purpose, as in 「収入を生活費に充てる」; the focus is on allocating, not on physically placing something.
- Related留めるとどめるWrittenWritten/formal prose for keeping something in place or preserving its state, or fixing it in the mind, as in 「記憶に留める」; the emphasis is on holding it still.
- Related取り残すとりのこすNeutralLeaves a person or thing behind, as in 「時代に取り残される」; commonly used in the passive.
- Related残すのこすNeutralLeaves something remaining or behind, as in 「料理を残す」 or 「メモを残す」; 「置く」 is about putting something in a spot, this is about what stays.
- Antonym取るとるNeutralThe opposite of 「置く」: to pick something up or take it away.
- Antonym持ち上げるもちあげるNeutralThe opposite of 「置く」: to lift something up or raise it.
Default to 「置く」 for putting something somewhere or setting things up. Use 「残す」 for leaving something behind, 「取り残される」 for being left behind, 「充てる」 for allocating money, time or people, and 「配する」 for placement in written/formal prose.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only


