去る・避る|さるsaru[1]atamadaka (head-high)
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Which spelling to use
去る去る（さる） is the more common written form and the recommended choice for beginners. It can express ‘to leave,’ ‘to go away,’ ‘to pass,’ and ‘to elapse.’
避る避る（さる） is a less common written form for the same word and meanings. Beginners should choose 去る（さる） instead.
Definitions
- godan verb, intransitive verbto leave; to go away
- godan verb, intransitive verbto pass; to elapse
- godan verb, intransitive verbto be distant
- godan verb, transitive verbto send away; to drive off; to divorce
- auxiliary verb, godan verbto (do) completelyafter a -masu stem, esp. of a suru verb
- pre-noun adjectivallast ... (e.g. "last April")
Conjugation
| Dictionary form | 去る（さる） |
|---|---|
| Polite (masu) | 去ります（さります） |
| Negative (nai) | 去らない（さらない） |
| polite (masen) | 去りません（さりません） |
| classical zu / nu | 去らず・去らぬ（さらず・さらぬ） |
| Past (ta) | 去った（さった） |
| polite (mashita) | 去りました（さりました） |
| Past negative (nakatta) | 去らなかった（さらなかった） |
| polite (masen deshita) | 去りませんでした（さりませんでした） |
| Te form | 去って（さって） |
| Potential | 去れる（される） |
| Passive | 去られる（さられる） |
| Causative | 去らせる（さらせる） |
| Causative passive | 去らせられる・去らされる（さらせられる・さらされる） |
| Conditional (ba) | 去れば（されば） |
| tara | 去ったら（さったら） |
| Volitional | 去ろう（さろう） |
| polite (mashou) | 去りましょう（さりましょう） |
| Imperative | 去れ（され） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym立ち去るたちさるNeutralLeaving the spot you are on; stresses the act of walking off the scene. 「去る」 is broader and can also describe time passing.
- Synonym離れるはなれるNeutralTo part, move apart or put distance between; also used for leaving a job or relationship. More everyday than 「去る」.
- Synonym退去たいきょFormalFormal: to vacate or move out, as in 「国外退去」; mostly in official documents and legal contexts.
- Synonym退散たいさんWrittenWritten: a group dispersing or fleeing, as in 「悪霊退散」; 「去る」 does not stress scattering.
- Synonym引き下がるひきさがるNeutralTo back off and stop pressing a point; stresses yielding, where 「去る」 is simply leaving.
- Synonym引き払うひきはらうNeutralTo move out and vacate a residence, as in 「アパートを引き払う」.
- SynonymすぎるNeutralTo pass by, or of time to elapse; also for going too far. 「去る」 stresses that something has already receded.
- Synonym過ぎ去るすぎさるWrittenWritten: of time or events now gone, often with a retrospective feel, as in 「過ぎ去った日々」.
- Synonym退くしりぞくCasualColloquial: to step back or retire, as in 「第一線から退く」; 「去る」 has no nuance of making way for others.
- Synonym離れ去るはなれさるWrittenWritten style: to break away from where you were or from a relationship and go, stressing a complete break.
- Synonym出立しゅったつWrittenWritten style for setting out on a journey; 「去る」 stresses leaving a place rather than starting off.
- Synonym辞去じきょFormalFormal written style: to take one's leave with courtesy, as in 「辞去する」; 「去る」 carries no sense of greeting.
- Synonym発つたつNeutralTo set off on a journey, as in 「成田を発つ」; stresses the point of departure, while 「去る」 stresses the leaving itself.
- Related引き上げるひきあげるNeutralTo withdraw or pull out, as in 「部隊が引き上げる」; also means to pull up or raise (taxes, etc.).
- Related見捨てるみすてるNeutralTo leave someone in the lurch while knowing of their plight; carries a moral judgment 「去る」 lacks.
- Related見放すみはなすNeutralTo give up on someone and stop caring, as when a doctor 「見放す」 a patient; stresses abandoning hope.
- Related捨てるすてるNeutralTo throw away or dump; the object can be a thing or a person. 「去る」 is your own leaving and takes no object.
- Related辞すじすFormalFormal written style: to take one's leave or resign a post, as in 「職を辞す」; more formal than 「去る」.
- Related退場たいじょうNeutralLeaving a hall, stage or stadium, as in 「退場処分」; 「去る」 is not limited to such venues.
- Related外すはずすNeutralTo step away briefly, as in 「席を外す」, or to unfasten something; 「去る」 is leaving outright, with no temporary nuance.
- Related捨て去るすてさるWrittenWritten: to cast off once and for all, often with ideas or the past, as in 「過去を捨て去る」.
- Related消え失せるきえうせるNeutralTo vanish without a trace, as in 「痛みが消え失せる」; the imperative 「消え失せろ」 means 'get lost' and is very rude.
- Related過ぎ行くすぎゆくWrittenWritten style for time or seasons flowing past; 「去る」 can also speak of time but is more general.
- Related失せるうせるNeutralTo vanish or fade, as in 「やる気が失せる」; the imperative 「失せろ」 means 'get lost' and is extremely rude.
- Related振り捨てるふりすてるWrittenWritten: to shake off and cast aside with resolve, as in 「未練を振り捨てる」; carries a decisive feel.
- Related掻き消えるかききえるWrittenWritten: of a sound or figure suddenly vanishing without a trace; 「去る」 is about leaving a place or time passing.
- Antonym寄るよるNeutralAntonym: to come near or stop by on the way — the opposite of 「去る」 as leaving.
- Antonym近づくちかづくNeutralAntonym: to draw near, in space or in time — the opposite of 「去る」 as it recedes.
Use 「去る」 for leaving a place or for time passing. For walking off the scene say 「立ち去る」, for putting distance 「離れる」, for setting out on a trip 「発つ」, for taking leave or resigning 「辞す」, and for time now gone 「過ぎ去る」. The rest mark special cases: vacating (「退去」「引き払う」), abandoning someone (「見捨てる」「見放す」), casting off the past (「捨て去る」), or vanishing (「失せる」).
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
Kanji in this word
English equivalents
See also
