生きる・活きる|いきるikiru[2]nakadaka (mid-high)
This browser can't play pronunciations (needs Safari 18.4 or later, or Chrome / Edge / Firefox).
Which spelling to use
生きるFor beginners, 生きる（いきる） is the most common written form and the recommended choice for all the listed meanings.
活きる活きる（いきる） is a rarely used variant written with kanji and kana; learners will seldom need to choose it instead of 生きる（いきる）.
Definitions
- ichidan verb, intransitive verbto live; to exist
- ichidan verb, intransitive verbto make a living; to subsist
- ichidan verb, intransitive verbto be in effect; to be in use; to function
- ichidan verb, intransitive verbto come to life; to be enlivened
- ichidan verb, intransitive verbto be safe (in baseball, go, etc.)
Conjugation
| Dictionary form | 生きる（いきる） |
|---|---|
| Polite (masu) | 生きます（いきます） |
| Negative (nai) | 生きない（いきない） |
| polite (masen) | 生きません（いきません） |
| classical zu / nu | 生きず・生きぬ（いきず・いきぬ） |
| Past (ta) | 生きた（いきた） |
| polite (mashita) | 生きました（いきました） |
| Past negative (nakatta) | 生きなかった（いきなかった） |
| polite (masen deshita) | 生きませんでした（いきませんでした） |
| Te form | 生きて（いきて） |
| Potential | 生きられる（いきられる） |
| Passive | 生きられる（いきられる） |
| Causative | 生きさせる（いきさせる） |
| Causative passive | 生きさせられる（いきさせられる） |
| Conditional (ba) | 生きれば（いきれば） |
| tara | 生きたら（いきたら） |
| Volitional | 生きよう（いきよう） |
| polite (mashou) | 生きましょう（いきましょう） |
| Imperative | 生きろ（いきろ） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Transitive / intransitive pair
魚が生きる
生きる describes the state of being alive, while 生かす focuses on the act of keeping someone or something alive.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym生存せいぞんWrittenWritten/formal prose word for life being sustained; common in biology and disaster reporting, as in 「生存者」「生存競争」; more objective than 「生きる」.
- Synonym生息せいそくWrittenWritten/formal prose: creatures living and dwelling in a certain place, as in 「熊が生息する森」; the subject is usually animals or plants, not people.
- Synonym生きていくいきていくNeutralGoing on living in the face of reality, with a sense of resolve and looking ahead, as in 「一人で生きていく」; the focus is on the life ahead.
- Related暮らすくらすNeutralAbout getting through daily life — living somewhere, spending one's days — as in 「田舎で暮らす」; centers on everyday living rather than life itself.
- Related生活せいかつNeutralA noun for daily life — food, clothing, shelter — as in 「生活費」; centers on lifestyle and livelihood rather than being alive.
- Related生き延びるいきのびるNeutralSurviving when death seemed certain, whether by luck or effort, as in 「事故を生き延びる」; the focus is on escaping death.
- RelatedやっていくCasualColloquial: getting by, making a living or getting on with people, as in 「何とかやっていく」; can also mean carrying on with life in general.
- Related生き抜くいきぬくWrittenWritten/formal prose: living through hardship to the very end, as in 「戦争を生き抜く」; often heard in motivational contexts.
- Antonym死ぬしぬNeutralThe direct opposite of 「生きる」: life coming to an end, dying.
Default to 「生きる」 for being alive. Use 「生存」 for life continuing in objective, written contexts; 「暮らす」 and 「生活」 for daily living and livelihood; 「生き延びる」 for escaping death; 「生き抜く」 for enduring hardship; 「生息」 for animals in a habitat; 「死ぬ」 for dying.
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
