泣く|なくnaku[0]heiban (flat)
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Definitions
- godan verb, intransitive verbto cry; to shed tears; to weep; to sob
- godan verb, intransitive verbto suffer (from); to be troubled (by); to face hardshipusu. as ...に泣く
- godan verb, intransitive verbto accept (an unreasonable request, loss, etc.); to do reluctantly; to make sacrifices
- godan verb, intransitive verbto be not worth the name; to suffer (of a reputation); to be spoiled; to be put to shame
- godan verb, transitive verbto lament; to bemoan; to bewail
Conjugation
| Dictionary form | 泣く（なく） |
|---|---|
| Polite (masu) | 泣きます（なきます） |
| Negative (nai) | 泣かない（なかない） |
| polite (masen) | 泣きません（なきません） |
| classical zu / nu | 泣かず・泣かぬ（なかず・なかぬ） |
| Past (ta) | 泣いた（ないた） |
| polite (mashita) | 泣きました（なきました） |
| Past negative (nakatta) | 泣かなかった（なかなかった） |
| polite (masen deshita) | 泣きませんでした（なきませんでした） |
| Te form | 泣いて（ないて） |
| Potential | 泣ける（なける） |
| Passive | 泣かれる（なかれる） |
| Causative | 泣かせる（なかせる） |
| Causative passive | 泣かせられる・泣かされる（なかせられる・なかされる） |
| Conditional (ba) | 泣けば（なけば） |
| tara | 泣いたら（ないたら） |
| Volitional | 泣こう（なこう） |
| polite (mashou) | 泣きましょう（なきましょう） |
| Imperative | 泣け（なけ） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Transitive / intransitive pair
子供が泣く
泣く focuses on the act of crying (the subject cries), while 泣かす focuses on causing someone else to cry (the subject makes another person cry).
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym涙するなみだするNeutralNeutral: to shed tears, as in 「その話に涙する」; often used for being moved to tears, more restrained and refined than 「泣く」.
- Related涕泣ていきゅうWrittenWritten/formal prose: shedding tears and weeping, as in 「涕泣して別れを惜しむ」; more archaic and solemn than 「泣く」.
- Related哀哭あいこくWrittenWritten/formal prose: wailing aloud in deep grief, as in 「哀哭の声」; stresses both the sorrow and the sound of crying.
- Related流涕りゅうていWrittenWritten/formal prose: shedding tears, as in 「感激に流涕する」; focuses on the tears themselves, not on crying aloud.
- RelatedめそめそするCasualColloquial: whimpering or snivelling quietly, as in 「いつまでもめそめそするな」; carries a pejorative nuance of being weak or spineless.
- Related垂泣WrittenWritten/formal prose: weeping with tears falling; very rare. In everyday speech use 「泣く」 or 「涙を流す」.
- Antonym笑うわらうNeutralAntonym: to laugh, as in 「声を出して笑う」; can also mean to sneer at or ridicule someone.
Default is 「泣く」. Use 「めそめそする」 for quiet whimpering (colloquial, mildly derogatory), 「涙する」 for being moved to tears, 「涕泣」 or 「流涕」 for literary descriptions of shedding tears, 「哀哭」 for loud wailing in grief, and 「笑う」 for laughing.
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
