疑う|うたがうutagau[0]heiban (flat)

JLPT N3approx.Common
Definitions
  1. godan verb, transitive verbto doubt; to distrust; to be suspicious of; to suspect
    僕ぼくの言葉ことばをまだ疑うたがっているんですか。↗
    Are you still in doubt about what I have said?
Conjugation
Dictionary form疑う(うたがう)
Polite (masu)疑います(うたがいます)
Negative (nai)疑わない(うたがわない)
polite (masen)疑いません(うたがいません)
classical zu / nu疑わず・疑わぬ(うたがわず・うたがわぬ)
Past (ta)疑った(うたがった)
polite (mashita)疑いました(うたがいました)
Past negative (nakatta)疑わなかった(うたがわなかった)
polite (masen deshita)疑いませんでした(うたがいませんでした)
Te form疑って(うたがって)
Potential疑える(うたがえる)
Passive疑われる(うたがわれる)
Causative疑わせる(うたがわせる)
Causative passive疑わせられる・疑わされる(うたがわせられる・うたがわされる)
Conditional (ba)疑えば(うたがえば)
tara疑ったら(うたがったら)
Volitional疑おう(うたがおう)
polite (mashou)疑いましょう(うたがいましょう)
Imperative疑え(うたがえ)

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

Synonyms & antonyms
  • Synonym怪しむあやしむNeutralFor feeling that something or someone is suspicious or off, as in 「人に怪しまれる」; 「疑う」 is broader, covering both disbelief and doubting that something is true.
  • Synonym猜疑さいぎWrittenWritten/formal prose for suspecting that others' words and actions hide ulterior motives; seen mostly in 「猜疑心」. 「疑う」 is broader.
  • SynonymいぶかしむWrittenWritten/formal prose for feeling doubt or finding something fishy; in everyday speech you would say 「不思議に思う」 or 「不審に思う」.
  • Synonym訝るいぶかるWrittenWritten/formal prose for feeling doubt or that something is strange; in daily speech 「不審に思う」 is the usual way to say it.
  • Synonym疑るうたぐるCasualA colloquial, down-to-earth word for doubting or distrusting; the standard word is 「疑う」.
  • Synonym不審がるふしんがるNeutralTakes 「〜がる」 and describes showing signs of suspicion, mostly about other people; 「疑う」 can be used for both oneself and others.
  • Synonym勘ぐるかんぐるNeutralFor wildly guessing at someone's motives and assuming the worst; 「疑う」 is more neutral and does not necessarily imply malicious suspicion.
  • Synonym疑問視ぎもんしWrittenWritten/formal prose for taking a skeptical view of plans, conclusions and the like, as 「疑問視する」; 「疑う」 is the more everyday word.
  • Related懐疑かいぎWrittenWritten/formal prose for doubt and unwillingness to take things on trust, often as 「懐疑的」; 「疑う」 is the everyday verb.
  • Related狐疑こぎWrittenWritten/formal prose for being so beset by doubt that one hesitates; almost never used in daily life — say 「疑う」 or 「ためらう」 instead.
  • Antonym信じるしんじるNeutralAntonym on the believe-vs-doubt axis: to believe something is true or to place trust in someone.
  • Antonym信用するNeutralAntonym on the trust side: to accept a person or a claim as reliable.

Use 「疑う」 to doubt that something is true or to distrust someone. 「怪しむ」 is for finding something suspicious, 「勘ぐる」 for assuming the worst about people's motives, 「疑問視」 for doubting plans or conclusions, and 「不審がる」 for showing suspicion. Most of the rest are written or colloquial variants; the antonyms are 「信じる」 and 「信用する」.

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

Japanese definitions
  1. 正ただしくないと思おもう。
  2. 頼たよりにならない、当あてにならないと思おもう。疑問ぎもんや不信感ふしんかんを持もつ。
  3. 悪わるい事柄ことがらについての原因げんいんや真相しんそうなどを推測すいそくする。
Kanji in this word
English equivalents
See also

JLPT vocabulary levels are community estimates, not official (no official lists have been published since the 2010 revision).

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