忘れる|わすれるwasureru[0]heiban (flat)
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Definitions
- ichidan verb, transitive verbto forget; to leave carelessly; to be forgetful of; to forget about; to forget (an article)
Conjugation
| Dictionary form | 忘れる（わすれる） |
|---|---|
| Polite (masu) | 忘れます（わすれます） |
| Negative (nai) | 忘れない（わすれない） |
| polite (masen) | 忘れません（わすれません） |
| classical zu / nu | 忘れず・忘れぬ（わすれず・わすれぬ） |
| Past (ta) | 忘れた（わすれた） |
| polite (mashita) | 忘れました（わすれました） |
| Past negative (nakatta) | 忘れなかった（わすれなかった） |
| polite (masen deshita) | 忘れませんでした（わすれませんでした） |
| Te form | 忘れて（わすれて） |
| Potential | 忘れられる（わすれられる） |
| Passive | 忘れられる（わすれられる） |
| Causative | 忘れさせる（わすれさせる） |
| Causative passive | 忘れさせられる（わすれさせられる） |
| Conditional (ba) | 忘れれば（わすれれば） |
| tara | 忘れたら（わすれたら） |
| Volitional | 忘れよう（わすれよう） |
| polite (mashou) | 忘れましょう（わすれましょう） |
| Imperative | 忘れろ（わすれろ） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym忘却ぼうきゃくWrittenWritten/formal prose word for forgetting something completely; literary in flavor, as in 「忘却の彼方」. Not for everyday 'I forgot' remarks.
- Synonym失念しつねんWrittenWritten/formal prose for a momentary lapse of memory, typical in business apologies such as 「失念しておりました」. Too stiff for casual talk.
- RelatedなくすNeutralNeutral word for losing an item outright. 「忘れる」 can also mean leaving something behind, but centers on memory, as in 「傘を忘れる」.
- Related失ううしなうNeutralNeutral word for losing or forfeiting something, as in 「自信を失う」; it is about loss, not forgetting.
- Related忘失ぼうしつWrittenWritten/formal prose for forgetting or losing something; used very rarely. Avoid in everyday speech.
- Related面忘れおもわすれNeutralNeutral but very rare word for failing to recognize a face for the moment — not general forgetting.
- Antonym覚えるおぼえるNeutralThe everyday opposite of 「忘れる」: to memorize or keep something in mind.
- Antonym記憶するWrittenWritten/formal prose opposite of 「忘れる」: to commit something to memory.
For forgetting or leaving something behind, 「忘れる」 is the default. In business apologies use 「失念」, for complete forgetting 「忘却」, and for losing an item 「無くす」. Antonyms: 「覚える」 in daily speech, 「記憶する」 in writing.
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
