What does “aruku” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “aruku” to mean ‘to walk’ in Japanese. Probably, many Japanese learners know this verb as it is quite often used in Japanese textbooks. In this blog post, however, I will explain this verb and its major conjugations. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to use “aruku” properly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
- Definition and meaning of “aruku”
- Arukanai: the nai form of “aruku”
- Arukou: the volitional form of “aruku”
- Arukimasu: the masu form of “aruku”
- Aruita: the ta form of “aruku”
- Aruite: the te form of “aruku”
- Arukeba: the ba form of “aruku”
- Summary
Definition and meaning of “aruku”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “aruku”.
- aruku – 歩く (あるく) : a verb meaning ‘to walk’ in Japanese.
The definition and meaning are simple and clear. Then, let me explain how to use this verb through the example sentence below.
Example #1: how to say “walk” in Japanese
boku wa tokidoki tomodachi to aruku – 僕は時々友達と歩く (ぼくはときどきともだちとあるく)
I sometimes walk with my friends.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “boku” to make the subject word in the sentence.
- tokidoki – 時々 (ときどき) : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘sometimes’ in Japanese.
- tomodachi – 友達 (ともだち) : a noun meaning ‘friend’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
- to – と : a case particle used to say with whom someone does something. In the example, this is used after “tomodachi” to say with whom the speaker sometimes walks.
This is a typical usage of “aruku”. When we want to mean ‘to walk’ in Japanese, this verb is a very good option.
In the rest part of this blog post, I will explain major conjugations of “aruku”. The first one is “arukanai”.
Arukanai: the nai form of “aruku”
Below are the definition and meaning of “arukanai”.
- arukanai – 歩かない (あるかない) : the nai form of “aruku”, which means ‘not to walk’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “arukanai” consists of the following two parts:
- aruka – 歩か (あるか) : one conjugation of “aruku”. This can have a smooth connection with “nai”.
- nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this auxiliary verb is very similar to that of “not”.
From these two parts, we can understand that “arukanai” is literally the nai form of “aruku” and means ‘not to walk’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this nai form through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to say “don’t walk” in Japanese
watashi tachi wa gakkou made arukanai – 私達は学校まで歩かない (わたしたちはがっこうまであるかない)
We don’t walk to school.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after “watashi” to make its plural form, “watashi tachi”, which means ‘we’ in Japanese.
- gakkou – 学校 (がっこう) : a noun meaning ‘school’ in Japanese.
- made – まで : an adverbial particle used to say where someone or something goes. In the example, this is used after “gakkou” to indicate the destination of the walk.
This is a typical usage of “arukanai”. In this example, it works together with the adverbial particle, “made”, to have the object – the destination of the walk. When we want to mean ‘not to walk’ in Japanese, anyway, this nai form is a good option.
Arukou: the volitional form of “aruku”
Below are the definition and meaning of “arukou”.
- arukou – 歩こう (あるこう) : the volitional form of “aruku”, which expresses volition to walk.
Grammatically, “arukou” consists of the following two parts:
- aruko – 歩こ (あるこ) : one conjugation of “aruku”. This can have a smooth connection with “u”.
- u – う : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make its volitional form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “arukou” is literally the volitional form of “aruku” and expresses volition to walk. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #3: how to say “let’s walk” in Japanese
mori made arukou – 森まで歩こう (もりまであるこう)
Let’s walk to the forest!
Below is the new word used in the example sentence.
- mori – 森 (もり) : a noun meaning ‘forest’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “arukou”. In this example, it works to make the suggestion. When we want to say “let’s walk” in Japanese, this volitional form is a good option.
Arukimasu: the masu form of “aruku”
Below are the definition and meaning of “arukimasu”.
- arukimasu – 歩きます (あるきます) : the masu form of “aruku”, which means ‘to walk’ politely in Japanese.
Grammatically, “arukimasu” consists of the following two parts:
- aruki – 歩き (あるき) : one conjugation of “aruku”. This can have a smooth connection with “masu”.
- masu – ます : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese masu form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “arukimasu” is literally the masu form of “aruku” and means ‘to walk’ politely in Japanese. Let me explain how to use it through the example sentence below.
Example #4: how to say “walk” politely in Japanese
watashi no musume wa itsumo gakkou made arukimasu – 私の娘はいつも学校まで歩きます (わたしのむすめはいつもがっこうまであるきます)
My daughter always walks to school.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “watashi” to make its possessive case, “watashi no“, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.
- musume – 娘 (むすめ) : a noun meaning ‘daughter’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- itsumo – いつも : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘always’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “arukimasu”. Its politeness has not been reflected in the English sentence, but the Japanese sentence sounds polite thanks to the masu form. When we want to say “walk” politely in Japanese, this form is a good option.
Aruita: the ta form of “aruku”
Below are the definition and meaning of “aruita”.
- aruita – 歩いた (あるいた) : the ta form of “aruku”, which means ‘walked’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “aruita” consists of the following two parts:
- arui – 歩い (あるい) : one conjugation of “aruku”. This can have a smooth connection with “ta”.
- ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “aruita” is literally the ta form of “aruku” and means ‘walked’ in Japanese. Let me explain its usage through the example sentence below.
Example #5: how to say “walked” in Japanese
kinou umi made aruita – 昨日海まで歩いた (きのううみまであるいた)
Yesterday, I walked to the sea.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kinou – 昨日 (きのう) : a noun meaning ‘yesterday’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb almost anywhere in a sentence. In the example, this works as an adverb at the beginning of the sentence to say “yesterday” in Japanese.
- umi – 海 (うみ) : a noun meaning ‘sea’ or ‘ocean’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “aruita”. When we want to say “walked” in Japanese, this ta form is a very good option.
Aruite: the te form of “aruku”
Below are the definition and meaning of “aruite”.
- aruite – 歩いて (あるいて) : the te form of “aruku”, which means ‘to walk’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “aruite” consists of the following two parts:
- arui – 歩い (あるい) : one conjugation of “aruku”. This can have a smooth connection with “te”.
- te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “aruite” is literally the te form of “aruku”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “aruite” is very useful when we want to use “aruku” before another verb, an adjective, or an auxiliary verb with a smooth connection. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #6: how to say “walk and” in Japanese
boku wa tamani aruite utau – 僕はたまに歩いて歌う (ぼくはたまにあるいてうたう)
I occasionally walk and sing.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- tamani – たまに : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘occasionally’ in Japanese.
- utau – 歌う (うたう) : a verb meaning ‘to sing’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “aruite”. In this example, it has the smooth connection with “utau”. When we want to use “aruku” before another verb with a smooth connection, its te form is very useful.
Arukeba: the ba form of “aruku”
Below are the definition and meaning of “arukeba”.
- arukeba – 歩けば (あるけば) : the ba form of “aruku”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to walk’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “arukeba” consists of the following two parts:
- aruke – 歩け (あるけ) : one conjugation of “aruku”. This can have a smooth connection with “ba”.
- ba – ば : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its ba form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “arukeba” is literally the ba form of “aruku”. In Japanese, ba-formed words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “arukeba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to walk’. Let me explain its usage through the example sentence below.
Example #7: how to say “if walk” in Japanese
mainichi gakkou made arukeba kenkou ni naru – 毎日学校まで歩けば健康になる (まいにちがっこうまであるけばけんこうになる)
If you walk to school every day, you’ll get fit.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- mainichi – 毎日 (まいにち) : an adverb meaning ‘every day’ in Japanese.
- kenkou – 健康 (けんこう) : a noun meaning ‘health’ in Japanese.
- ni – に : a case particle used to say what state someone or something is in after a change or action. In the example, this is used after “kenkou” to indicate the state in which the listener will be in.
- naru – なる : a verb meaning ‘to get’, ‘to become’, ‘to turn’, or such in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “arukeba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “mainichi gakkou made arukeba”, which means ‘if you walk to school every day’. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to walk’, this ba form is a good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained “aruku” and its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- aruku – 歩く (あるく) : a verb meaning ‘to walk’ in Japanese.
- arukanai – 歩かない (あるかない) : the nai form of “aruku”, which means ‘not to walk’ in Japanese.
- arukou – 歩こう (あるこう) : the volitional form of “aruku”, which expresses volition to walk.
- arukimasu – 歩きます (あるきます) : the masu form of “aruku”, which means ‘to walk’ politely in Japanese.
- aruita – 歩いた (あるいた) : the ta form of “aruku”, which means ‘walked’ in Japanese.
- aruite – 歩いて (あるいて) : the te form of “aruku”, which means ‘to walk’ in Japanese.
- arukeba – 歩けば (あるけば) : the ba form of “aruku”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to walk’ in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
Learn more vocabulary on the app!
You can improve your Japanese vocabulary with our flashcards.
