極める・窮める|きわめるkiwameru[3]nakadaka (mid-high)
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Which spelling to use
極める極める is the most common written form, using kanji followed by kana; use it when writing this verb about carrying something to its limits or peak.
窮める窮める is a rarely used written variant, also using kanji followed by kana; learners will seldom need to select it.
Definitions
- ichidan verb, transitive verbto carry to extremes; to go to the end of something; to reach the limits of something
- ichidan verb, transitive verbto reach the peak of something (e.g. luxury, hardships, etc); to be extremely (e.g. busy)
- ichidan verb, transitive verbto exhaust completely; to have nothing left (e.g. to say)
Conjugation
| Dictionary form | 極める（きわめる） |
|---|---|
| Polite (masu) | 極めます（きわめます） |
| Negative (nai) | 極めない（きわめない） |
| polite (masen) | 極めません（きわめません） |
| classical zu / nu | 極めず・極めぬ（きわめず・きわめぬ） |
| Past (ta) | 極めた（きわめた） |
| polite (mashita) | 極めました（きわめました） |
| Past negative (nakatta) | 極めなかった（きわめなかった） |
| polite (masen deshita) | 極めませんでした（きわめませんでした） |
| Te form | 極めて（きわめて） |
| Potential | 極められる（きわめられる） |
| Passive | 極められる（きわめられる） |
| Causative | 極めさせる（きわめさせる） |
| Causative passive | 極めさせられる（きわめさせられる） |
| Conditional (ba) | 極めれば（きわめれば） |
| tara | 極めたら（きわめたら） |
| Volitional | 極めよう（きわめよう） |
| polite (mashou) | 極めましょう（きわめましょう） |
| Imperative | 極めろ（きわめろ） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Transitive / intransitive pair
芸を極める
極まる focuses on the event or resulting state, as in 芸が極まる; 極める foregrounds the agent acting on something, as in 芸を極める.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
Kanji in this word
