漂う|ただようtadayou[3]nakadaka (mid-high)
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Definitions
- godan verb, intransitive verbto drift; to float
- godan verb, intransitive verbto waft (e.g. a scent); to hang in the air
- godan verb, intransitive verbto be in the air (e.g. a feeling or mood)
- godan verb, intransitive verbto wander; to walk around aimlessly
- godan verb, intransitive verbto be unsteady; to be unstable
- godan verb, intransitive verbto falter; to flinch; to wince
- godan verb, intransitive verbto live in unreliable circumstances
Conjugation
| Dictionary form | 漂う（ただよう） |
|---|---|
| Polite (masu) | 漂います（ただよいます） |
| Negative (nai) | 漂わない（ただよわない） |
| polite (masen) | 漂いません（ただよいません） |
| classical zu / nu | 漂わず・漂わぬ（ただよわず・ただよわぬ） |
| Past (ta) | 漂った（ただよった） |
| polite (mashita) | 漂いました（ただよいました） |
| Past negative (nakatta) | 漂わなかった（ただよわなかった） |
| polite (masen deshita) | 漂いませんでした（ただよいませんでした） |
| Te form | 漂って（ただよって） |
| Potential | 漂える（ただよえる） |
| Passive | 漂われる（ただよわれる） |
| Causative | 漂わせる（ただよわせる） |
| Causative passive | 漂わせられる・漂わされる（ただよわせられる・ただよわされる） |
| Conditional (ba) | 漂えば（ただよえば） |
| tara | 漂ったら（ただよったら） |
| Volitional | 漂おう（ただよおう） |
| polite (mashou) | 漂いましょう（ただよいましょう） |
| Imperative | 漂え（ただよえ） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Transitive / intransitive pair
雲が漂う
漂う means to drift or float without an agent (雲が漂う); the transitive 漂わす means to cause something to waft or diffuse, often a scent or atmosphere (香りを漂わす).
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym漂泊ひょうはくWrittenNoun for people wandering or drifting from place to place; written, literary style. 「漂う」 is about things floating on water or in the air.
- Synonym漂流ひょうりゅうNeutralNoun for ships or objects drifting along with the waves, as in 「漂流船」; the focus is on being carried by the water.
- Synonym浮遊ふゆうWrittenWritten-style noun for floating or suspended in water or the air, as in 「浮遊物」.
- Antonym沈むしずむNeutralVerb meaning to sink; the opposite of 「漂う」 in its sense of floating.
- Antonym止まるとまるNeutralVerb meaning to stop moving; the opposite of 「漂う」 in its sense of drifting or swaying.
Use 「漂う」 for floating on water or in the air or a mood pervading a place, as in 「香りが漂う」「緊張感が漂う」. For people wandering use 「漂泊」, for drifting with the current 「漂流」, for suspended floating 「浮遊」; for sinking use 「沈む」.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
Kanji in this word
English equivalents
