祝う・斎う|いわうiwau[2]nakadaka (mid-high)
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Which spelling to use
祝うThe kanji-and-kana spelling 祝う is the most common form; use it when writing this verb.
斎う斎う is a less common kanji-and-kana variant of 祝う; beginners should choose 祝う instead when writing it.
Definitions
- godan verb, transitive verbto celebrate; to congratulate; to observe (a festival)
- godan verb, transitive verbto present (a gift) in celebration; to drink in celebration
- godan verb, transitive verbto wish for (a happy future, good fortune, etc.); to pray for
Conjugation
| Dictionary form | 祝う（いわう） |
|---|---|
| Polite (masu) | 祝います（いわいます） |
| Negative (nai) | 祝わない（いわわない） |
| polite (masen) | 祝いません（いわいません） |
| classical zu / nu | 祝わず・祝わぬ（いわわず・いわわぬ） |
| Past (ta) | 祝った（いわった） |
| polite (mashita) | 祝いました（いわいました） |
| Past negative (nakatta) | 祝わなかった（いわわなかった） |
| polite (masen deshita) | 祝いませんでした（いわいませんでした） |
| Te form | 祝って（いわって） |
| Potential | 祝える（いわえる） |
| Passive | 祝われる（いわわれる） |
| Causative | 祝わせる（いわわせる） |
| Causative passive | 祝わせられる・祝わされる（いわわせられる・いわわされる） |
| Conditional (ba) | 祝えば（いわえば） |
| tara | 祝ったら（いわったら） |
| Volitional | 祝おう（いわおう） |
| polite (mashou) | 祝いましょう（いわいましょう） |
| Imperative | 祝え（いわえ） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym祝賀しゅくがWrittenWritten/formal noun for official congratulation, as in 「祝賀会」 or 「祝賀パレード」; ceremonial and stiff next to the everyday 「祝う」.
- Synonym慶祝けいしゅくWrittenWritten/formal word for celebration, used mainly for happy events of nations or organizations; not part of everyday speech.
- Synonym賀するがするWrittenWritten/formal verb meaning to congratulate, as in 「新年を賀する」; little used in modern Japanese, so it cannot casually replace 「祝う」.
- Synonym祝するしゅくするWrittenWritten/formal verb for celebrating and wishing continued happiness, as in 「前途を祝する」; more solemn and stilted than 「祝う」.
- Synonym寿ぐことほぐWrittenLiterary, elegant verb for offering words of blessing, as in 「新春を寿ぐ」; far more refined than the plain 「祝う」.
- Synonym祝すしゅくすWrittenThe godan-conjugated written/formal counterpart of 「祝する」; same solemn celebrating sense, but actual examples are scarce.
- Synonym慶賀けいがWrittenWritten/formal word for congratulation, found mostly in epistolary set phrases like 「慶賀の至り」; not for daily use.
- Synonym寿くことぶくWrittenLiterary synonym of 「寿ぐ」 with the same elegant, word-based blessing sense; rare in modern usage.
- Antonym弔うとむらうNeutralNeutral verb for mourning the dead or offering condolences; the direct opposite of 「祝う」, which marks happy occasions.
- Antonym嘆くなげくNeutralNeutral verb for lamenting or grieving aloud; stands opposite the joy of celebrating with 「祝う」.
Use 「祝う」 for everyday celebrating and congratulating. For formal ceremonies pick 「祝賀」; in written, solemn prose 「祝する」 or 「賀する」; for elegant blessings 「寿ぐ」 (rarely 「寿く」); 「慶祝」 suits national or group events and 「慶賀」 letter formulas. The opposites are 「弔う」 (mourning) and 「嘆く」 (lamenting).
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
