遊ぶ

Japanese

Etymology

Kanji in this term
遊
あそ Grade: 3
kun'yomi

From Old Japanese. First attested in the Kojiki of 712 CE.^[1] From Proto-Japonic *asonpu.

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) あそぶ [àsóbú] (Heiban – [0])^[2]^[3]^[1]
IPA^(key): [a̠so̞bɯ̟]

Tokyo pitch accent of conjugated forms of 「遊ぶ」

Stem forms
Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary
Terminal (終止形) Attributive (連体形)	遊ぶ	あそぶ	`[àsóbú]`
Imperative (命令形)	遊べ	あそべ	`[àsóbé]`
Key constructions
Passive	遊ばれる	あそばれる	`[àsóbárérú]`
Causative	遊ばせる	あそばせる	`[àsóbásérú]`
Potential	遊べる	あそべる	`[àsóbérú]`
Volitional	遊ぼう	あそぼー	`[àsóbóꜜò]`
Negative	遊ばない	あそばない	`[àsóbánáí]`
Negative perfective	遊ばなかった	あそばなかった	`[àsóbánáꜜkàttà]`
Formal	遊びます	あそびます	`[àsóbímáꜜsù]`
Perfective	遊んだ	あそんだ	`[àsóńdá]`
Conjunctive	遊んで	あそんで	`[àsóńdé]`
Hypothetical conditional	遊べば	あそべば	`[àsóbéꜜbà]`

(Kyoto) あそぶ [àsòbú] (Teiki – [0])^[4]^[1]

Verb

遊(あそ)ぶ • (asobu) intransitive godan (stem 遊(あそ)び (asobi), past 遊(あそ)んだ (asonda))

play, amuse oneself, enjoy oneself
spend one's time idle, do nothing
for an item not to be in use, be spare or idle

Usage notes

Unlike "play" in English, this term is applied to both children and adults. (This leads to usage errors such as "I enjoy playing with my girlfriend on weekends.") It is used broadly for any enjoyable activity such as socializing.

Conjugation

Conjugation of "遊ぶ" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
Mizenkei ("imperfective")	遊ば	あそば	asoba
Ren’yōkei ("continuative")	遊び	あそび	asobi
Shūshikei ("terminal")	遊ぶ	あそぶ	asobu
Rentaikei ("attributive")	遊ぶ	あそぶ	asobu
Kateikei ("hypothetical")	遊べ	あそべ	asobe
Meireikei ("imperative")	遊べ	あそべ	asobe
Key constructions
Passive	遊ばれる	あそばれる	asobareru
Causative	遊ばせる遊ばす	あそばせるあそばす	asobaseru asobasu
Potential	遊べる	あそべる	asoberu
Volitional	遊ぼう	あそぼう	asobō
Negative	遊ばない	あそばない	asobanai
Negative continuative	遊ばず	あそばず	asobazu
Formal	遊びます	あそびます	asobimasu
Perfective	遊んだ	あそんだ	asonda
Conjunctive	遊んで	あそんで	asonde
Hypothetical conditional	遊べば	あそべば	asobeba

Classical conjugation of "遊ぶ" (バ行四段活用, see Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Stem forms
Irrealis (未然形)	遊ば	あそば	asoba
Continuative (連用形)	遊び	あそび	asobi
Terminal (終止形)	遊ぶ	あそぶ	asobu
Attributive (連体形)	遊ぶ	あそぶ	asobu
Realis (已然形)	遊べ	あそべ	asobe
Imperative (命令形)	遊べ	あそべ	asobe
Key constructions
Negative	遊ばず	あそばず	asobazu
Contrasting conjunction	遊べど	あそべど	asobedo
Causal conjunction	遊べば	あそべば	asobeba
Conditional conjunction	遊ばば	あそばば	asobaba
Past tense (firsthand knowledge)	遊びき	あそびき	asobiki
Past tense (secondhand knowledge)	遊びけり	あそびけり	asobikeri
Perfect tense (conscious action)	遊びつ	あそびつ	asobitu
Perfect tense (natural event)	遊びぬ	あそびぬ	asobinu
Perfect-continuative tense	遊べり遊びたり	あそべりあそびたり	asoberi asobitari
Volitional	遊ばむ	あそばむ	asobamu

Derived terms

遊(あそ)び (asobi)

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 “あそ・ぶ【遊】”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎^[1] (in Japanese), 2nd edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2000-2002, released online 2007, →ISBN, concise edition entry available here
^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1974), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Second edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō
^ Nakai, Yukihiko, editor (2002), 京阪系アクセント辞典 [A Dictionary of Tone on Words of the Keihan-type Dialects] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Bensei, →ISBN

2002, Ineko Kondō; Fumi Takano; Mary E Althaus; et. al., Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary, Third Edition, Tokyo: Shōgakukan, →ISBN.

[NKD2O-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 “あそ・ぶ【遊】”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎^[1] (in Japanese), 2nd edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2000-2002, released online 2007, →ISBN, concise edition entry available here

[DJR-2] Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[SMK2-3] Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1974), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Second edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō

[4] Nakai, Yukihiko, editor (2002), 京阪系アクセント辞典 [A Dictionary of Tone on Words of the Keihan-type Dialects] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Bensei, →ISBN

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