残る・遺る|のこるnokoru[2]nakadaka (mid-high)
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Which spelling to use
残る残る is the common written form and the recommended choice for beginners; use it when writing this word.
遺る遺る is rarely used, so you will seldom encounter it; recognize it as a less common written variant rather than your usual choice.
Definitions
- godan verb, intransitive verbto remain; to be left
Conjugation
| Dictionary form | 残る（のこる） |
|---|---|
| Polite (masu) | 残ります（のこります） |
| Negative (nai) | 残らない（のこらない） |
| polite (masen) | 残りません（のこりません） |
| classical zu / nu | 残らず・残らぬ（のこらず・のこらぬ） |
| Past (ta) | 残った（のこった） |
| polite (mashita) | 残りました（のこりました） |
| Past negative (nakatta) | 残らなかった（のこらなかった） |
| polite (masen deshita) | 残りませんでした（のこりませんでした） |
| Te form | 残って（のこって） |
| Potential | 残れる（のこれる） |
| Passive | 残られる（のこられる） |
| Causative | 残らせる（のこらせる） |
| Causative passive | 残らせられる・残らされる（のこらせられる・のこらされる） |
| Conditional (ba) | 残れば（のこれば） |
| tara | 残ったら（のこったら） |
| Volitional | 残ろう（のころう） |
| polite (mashou) | 残りましょう（のこりましょう） |
| Imperative | 残れ（のこれ） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Transitive / intransitive pair
お金が残る
残る focuses on the event or resulting state, as in お金が残る; 残す foregrounds the agent acting on something, as in お金を残す.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym残存ざんぞんWrittenSino-Japanese word for something that remains, as in 「残存する文献」; belongs to written/formal prose, while 残る is the more colloquial everyday verb.
- Synonym居残るいのこるNeutralStaying behind when others have left, or working overtime after hours, as in 「放課後に居残る」; more specific than 残る.
- Synonym生き残るいきのこるNeutralTo survive — stay alive through a disaster or competition, as in 「生き残る企業」; 残る alone does not imply survival.
- Synonym消え残るきえのこるNeutralMeans something has not completely disappeared but still lingers, as in 「消え残る雪」; narrower than 残る, which covers any kind of remaining.
- Related居座るいすわるCasualColloquial for lingering or staying put when one should leave, as in 「居座る客」; often carries a negative nuance that 残る does not.
- Related宿るやどるWrittenWritten verb with a literary flavor, for lodging or dwelling within something, as in 「魂が宿る」; a different sense from 残る's 'be left'.
- Related滞留たいりゅうWrittenFormal Sino-Japanese word for staying somewhere for a stretch of time, as in 「空港に滞留する」; belongs to written/formal prose rather than everyday speech.
Use 「残る」 by default for something remaining or being left. Pick 「残存」 in written prose, 「居残る」 for staying behind or working late, 「生き残る」 for surviving, 「居座る」 for overstaying with a negative tinge, 「宿る」 for dwelling within, and 「滞留」 for a formal stay.
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
