横たわる|よこたわるyokotawaru[4]nakadaka (mid-high)
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Definitions
- godan verb, intransitive verbto lie down; to stretch outケイトとは、目をひらいたまま、横たわっていた。↗Kate was lying with her eyes open.
- godan verb, intransitive verbto lie ahead (of danger, difficulty, etc.); to lie in wait
Conjugation
| Dictionary form | 横たわる（よこたわる） |
|---|---|
| Polite (masu) | 横たわります（よこたわります） |
| Negative (nai) | 横たわらない（よこたわらない） |
| polite (masen) | 横たわりません（よこたわりません） |
| classical zu / nu | 横たわらず・横たわらぬ（よこたわらず・よこたわらぬ） |
| Past (ta) | 横たわった（よこたわった） |
| polite (mashita) | 横たわりました（よこたわりました） |
| Past negative (nakatta) | 横たわらなかった（よこたわらなかった） |
| polite (masen deshita) | 横たわりませんでした（よこたわりませんでした） |
| Te form | 横たわって（よこたわって） |
| Potential | 横たわれる（よこたわれる） |
| Passive | 横たわられる（よこたわられる） |
| Causative | 横たわらせる（よこたわらせる） |
| Causative passive | 横たわらせられる・横たわらされる（よこたわらせられる・よこたわらされる） |
| Conditional (ba) | 横たわれば（よこたわれば） |
| tara | 横たわったら（よこたわったら） |
| Volitional | 横たわろう（よこたわろう） |
| polite (mashou) | 横たわりましょう（よこたわりましょう） |
| Imperative | 横たわれ（よこたわれ） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Transitive / intransitive pair
彼が横たわる
彼を横たえる
横たわる focuses on the event or resulting state of someone lying down, while 横たえる foregrounds the agent acting on someone by laying them down: 彼が横たわる versus 彼を横たえる.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Synonyms & antonyms
- Related寝るねるNeutralThe everyday word for sleeping or lying down; the most common choice. 「横たわる」 describes a body lying stretched out, and can also say problems lie ahead.
- Related寝転ぶねころぶCasualColloquial: flopping down casually wherever you like. 「横たわる」 is more written in flavour and also has the figurative sense of problems lying ahead.
- Related横たえるよこたえるWrittenWritten/formal and transitive: to lay a body or a thing down flat. 「横たわる」 is the intransitive counterpart.
- Related伏せるふせるNeutralTo set something face down or upside down, or to lie face down yourself. 「横たわる」 disregards orientation and can also be figurative, of danger lying ahead.
- Related寝っ転がるねっころがるCasualAn even more casual variant of 「寝転がる」: sprawling down without ceremony. 「横たわる」 is the more written word.
- Related横臥おうがWrittenA written Sino-Japanese word for lying on one's side, seen mostly in medical writing and prose. In everyday speech say 「横たわる」 or 「横になる」.
- Related臥せるふせるNeutralWhen written 「臥せる」, it means to be confined to bed, often through illness, as in 「風邪で臥せる」. 「横たわる」 carries no suggestion of illness.
- Related平臥へいがWrittenWritten and rare: lying flat, or being bedridden. In daily language use 「横たわる」 or 「横になる」.
- Related臥するがするWrittenStrongly literary: to take to one's bed or lie down; used very little today. 「横たわる」 is far more current.
- Related寝転がるねころがるNeutralTo lie down in a relaxed, casual way; common in speech. 「横たわる」 is more written and also covers the figurative sense of something lying ahead.
- Related臥すふすWrittenWritten/formal: to take to bed or be laid up with illness, as in 「病の床に臥す」. 「横たわる」 is just lying down, with no illness nuance.
- Antonym起きるおきるNeutralThe opposite of 「横たわる」: getting up from lying down or getting out of bed, as in 「ベッドから起きる」.
- Antonym立つたつNeutralTo stand or rise to one's feet — the vertical posture set against the horizontal one of 「横たわる」.
For everyday lying down or going to bed, 「寝る」 is the default, with the colloquial 「寝転ぶ」/「寝転がる」 for flopping down casually. Use 「横たわる」 for a body lying stretched out or, figuratively, problems lying ahead — it leans written. For being bedridden with illness choose 「臥す」/「臥せる」; to get up, 「起きる」 or 「立つ」.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
Kanji in this word
