漂泊|ひょうはくhyouhaku[0]heiban (flat)

Common
Definitions
  1. noun, suru verb, intransitive verbroaming; drifting about; wandering
  2. noun, suru verb, intransitive verbdrifting (with the current, on the tide, etc.)
Conjugation
Dictionary form漂泊する(ひょうはくする)
Polite (masu)漂泊します(ひょうはくします)
Negative (nai)漂泊しない(ひょうはくしない)
polite (masen)漂泊しません(ひょうはくしません)
classical zu / nu漂泊せず・漂泊せぬ(ひょうはくせず・ひょうはくせぬ)
Past (ta)漂泊した(ひょうはくした)
polite (mashita)漂泊しました(ひょうはくしました)
Past negative (nakatta)漂泊しなかった(ひょうはくしなかった)
polite (masen deshita)漂泊しませんでした(ひょうはくしませんでした)
Te form漂泊して(ひょうはくして)
Potential漂泊できる(ひょうはくできる)
Passive漂泊される(ひょうはくされる)
Causative漂泊させる(ひょうはくさせる)
Causative passive漂泊させられる(ひょうはくさせられる)
Conditional (ba)漂泊すれば(ひょうはくすれば)
tara漂泊したら(ひょうはくしたら)
Volitional漂泊しよう(ひょうはくしよう)
polite (mashou)漂泊しましょう(ひょうはくしましょう)
Imperative漂泊しろ(ひょうはくしろ)

Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.

Synonyms & antonyms
  • Synonym漂流ひょうりゅうWrittenWritten/formal prose. Refers to ships or objects drifting with the waves, mostly at sea, while 「漂泊」 suggests people wandering without a fixed home.
  • Synonym漂うただようNeutralNeutral. Means floating on water or in the air, and also scents or moods wafting, as in 「香りが漂う」; far broader in use than 「漂泊」.
  • SynonymさまようNeutralNeutral. Wandering lost or aimlessly; also used figuratively for hovering between life and death, as in 「生死の境をさまよう」.
  • Synonym放浪ほうろうWrittenWritten/formal prose. Roaming far and wide, as in 「放浪の旅」; close to 「漂泊」 but slightly more colloquial.
  • Synonym流浪るろうWrittenWritten/formal prose. Aimless wandering with nowhere to settle, as in 「流浪の民」; very close to 「漂泊」.
  • Synonym浮遊ふゆうWrittenWritten/formal prose. Chiefly floating or hanging suspended in air or water, as in 「浮遊生物」; the sense of wandering exists but is not its focus.
  • Synonym転々てんてんNeutralNeutral. Moving from place to place, as in 「職を転々とする」; stresses frequent changes rather than drifting.
  • Synonym彷徨ほうこうWrittenWritten/formal prose. Wandering or pacing with a nuance of inner uncertainty, as in 「彷徨の青春」.
  • Synonym流れ歩くながれあるくNeutralNeutral. Wandering from place to place on foot, often to make a living or travel around.
  • Synonym漂浪ひょうろうWrittenWritten/formal prose. Means the same as 「漂泊」 but is rarely used.
  • Related歩き回るあるきまわるNeutralNeutral. Simply walking around; a concrete action with none of the vagrant feel of 「漂泊」.
  • RelatedうろつくCasualColloquial. Drifting about with no particular purpose, as in 「町をうろつく」.
  • Related低回ていかいWrittenWritten/formal prose. Pacing back and forth while deep in thought; the emphasis is on thinking, not wandering.
  • RelatedさすらうWrittenWritten/formal prose. Poetic wandering, as in 「荒野をさすらう」; close to 「漂泊」.
  • Related浮流ふりゅうWrittenWritten/formal prose. Floating on the water and drifting; used mainly of objects rather than people.
  • Relatedそぞろ歩くそぞろあるくNeutralNeutral. Leisurely strolling with no set destination; unlike 「漂泊」, it carries no sense of being homeless.
  • RelatedぶらつくCasualColloquial. Sauntering or swaying about with nothing in particular to do.
  • Antonym定住ていじゅうNeutralAntonym. Settling permanently in one place — the opposite of the rootless wandering of 「漂泊」.
  • Antonym定着ていちゃくWrittenWritten/formal prose. Taking root or staying fixed in one place; the opposite of 「漂泊」.

Choose 「漂泊」 for a literary picture of a rootless life spent drifting from place to place, as in 「漂泊の詩人」. For roaming far and wide use 「放浪」; for ships adrift at sea 「漂流」; for aimless wandering 「さまよう」. For casual hanging about, 「ぶらつく」 or 「うろつく」 fit better, and settling down is 「定住」.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

Japanese definitions
  1. 流れ漂ながれただようこと。
  2. さ迷い歩まよいあるくこと。
Kanji in this word
English equivalents

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