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Definition 2024

泣く

泣く

Japanese

Kanji in this term
泣
な Grade: 4
kun'yomi

Alternative forms

哭 (な)く ‎(naku)

Verb

泣く ‎(intransitive, godan conjugation, hiragana なく, romaji naku)

(intransitive) to cry tears, to weep, to sob
(intransitive) to howl

泣く ‎(transitive, godan conjugation, hiragana なく, romaji naku)

to grieve over something

Derived terms

Derived terms

しくしく泣く (しくしくなく, shiku shiku naku); to sob, to weep
すすり泣く, 啜り泣く, 啜りなく (すすりなく, susuri naku), to sob
一銭を笑う者は一銭に泣く (いっせんをわらうものはいっせんになく, issen o warau mono wa issen ni naku); take care of the penny
名が泣く (ながなく, naganaku); of a restaurant or a public person, to not be worthy of some reputation
咽び泣く, むせび泣く (むせびなく, musebi naku); to sob, to be choked with tears

忍び泣く (しのびなく, shinobi naku); to shed silent tears
泣く子と地頭には勝てぬ (なくことじとうにはかてぬ, naku ko to jitō ni wa kate nu); you can't fight City Hall, you cannot win against someone who doesn't listen to reason
泣く泣く (なくなく, nakunaku); tearfully, in tears, weeping, crying
蚊の鳴くような声, 蚊の泣くような声, 蚊の鳴く様な声 (かのなくようなこえ, ka no naku yō na koe); a very thin voice

Conjugation

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

Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形)	泣か	なか	naka
Continuative (連用形)	泣き	なき	naki
Terminal (終止形)	泣く	なく	naku
Attributive (連体形)	泣く	なく	naku
Hypothetical (仮定形)	泣け	なけ	nake
Imperative (命令形)	泣け	なけ	nake
Key constructions
Passive	泣かれる	なかれる	nakareru
Causative	泣かせる泣かす	なかせるなかす	nakaseru nakasu
Potential	泣ける	なける	nakeru
Volitional	泣こう	なこう	nakō
Negative	泣かない	なかない	nakanai
Negative continuative	泣かず	なかず	nakazu
Formal	泣きます	なきます	nakimasu
Perfective	泣いた	ないた	naita
Conjunctive	泣いて	ないて	naite
Hypothetical conditional	泣けば	なけば	nakeba

See also

涙 (なみだ) ‎(namida): tear
いさつ ‎(isatsu)
いさちる ‎(isachiru)

References

2002, Ineko Kondō; Fumi Takano; Mary E Althaus; et. al., Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary, Third Edition, Tokyo: Shōgakukan, ISBN 4095102535.
2002, Yasuo Kitahara, 明鏡国語辞典 (Meikyō Kokugo Jiten), First Edition (in Japanese), Tokyo: Taishūkan Shoten, ISBN 4469021067