妬む・嫉む|ねたむnetamu[2]nakadaka (mid-high)
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Which spelling to use
妬む妬む is the more common written form of this word and the recommended choice for learners.
嫉む嫉む is a less common written variant of this word; 妬む is the better choice when you need to write it.
Definitions
- godan verb, transitive verbto be jealous of; to envy; to begrudge
Conjugation
| Dictionary form | 妬む（ねたむ） |
|---|---|
| Polite (masu) | 妬みます（ねたみます） |
| Negative (nai) | 妬まない（ねたまない） |
| polite (masen) | 妬みません（ねたみません） |
| classical zu / nu | 妬まず・妬まぬ（ねたまず・ねたまぬ） |
| Past (ta) | 妬んだ（ねたんだ） |
| polite (mashita) | 妬みました（ねたみました） |
| Past negative (nakatta) | 妬まなかった（ねたまなかった） |
| polite (masen deshita) | 妬みませんでした（ねたみませんでした） |
| Te form | 妬んで（ねたんで） |
| Potential | 妬める（ねためる） |
| Passive | 妬まれる（ねたまれる） |
| Causative | 妬ませる（ねたませる） |
| Causative passive | 妬ませられる・妬まされる（ねたませられる・ねたまされる） |
| Conditional (ba) | 妬めば（ねためば） |
| tara | 妬んだら（ねたんだら） |
| Volitional | 妬もう（ねたもう） |
| polite (mashou) | 妬みましょう（ねたみましょう） |
| Imperative | 妬め（ねため） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym嫉むそねむNeutralNearly synonymous with 「妬む」 but with a darker shade; leans toward written prose. Covers jealousy and resentment, as in 「人の出世を嫉む」.
- Synonym羨むうらやむNeutralMeans to envy — wanting the same thing for yourself — and can carry some discontent, but lacks the strong resentment of 「妬む」.
- SynonymやっかむCasualColloquial; to begrudge someone their good fortune and feel jealous of it, as in 「人の成功をやっかむ」.
- Related嫉妬しっとNeutralA noun for jealousy, as in 「嫉妬心」; the most general term, and also used for romantic jealousy.
- Related羨望せんぼうNeutralA noun for envy, as in 「羨望の的」; leans written and carries no malice.
- Related嫉視しっしWrittenA noun for looking on someone with jealousy, as in 「同僚を嫉視する」; written in flavor and rare.
- Related妬くやくCasualTo be jealous, mostly in romantic contexts; colloquial. Can also cover envying another person's things or abilities.
Use 「妬む」 for resenting someone because they are better off (「人の成功を妬む」, 「妬ましい」). For simple envy without resentment use 「羨む」; casual speech has 「やっかむ」 for begrudging jealousy; for romantic jealousy use 「妬く」 or 「嫉妬」.
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
