What does “hakobu” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “hakobu” normally to mean ‘to carry’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this verb as it is sometimes used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain it together with its major conjugations. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners use “hakobu” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
- Definition and meanings of “hakobu”
- Hakobanai: the nai form of “hakobu”
- Hakobou: the volitional form of “hakobu”
- Hakobimasu: the masu form of “hakobu”
- Hakonda: the past tense form of “hakobu”
- Hakonde: the te form of “hakobu”
- Hakobeba: the ba form of “hakobu”
- Summary
Definition and meanings of “hakobu”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “hakobu”.
- hakobu – 運ぶ (はこぶ) : a verb meaning ‘to carry’ in Japanese. Depending on the context and situation, this can also mean ‘to transport’ or ‘to convey’ in Japanese.
The definition and meanings are not that difficult, I think. The meanings seem to be based on the same concept. Then, let me explain how to use this verb through the example sentence below.
Example #1: how to say “carry” in Japanese
boku wa itsumo kanojo no kaban wo hakobu – 僕はいつも彼女の鞄を運ぶ (ぼくはいつもかのじょのかばんをはこぶ)
I always carry her bag.
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 in the sentence.
- itsumo – いつも : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘always’ in Japanese.
- kanojo– 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
- no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to make its possessive case, “kanojo no”, which means ‘her’ in Japanese.
- kaban – 鞄 (かばん) : a noun meaning ‘bag’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “kanojo no kaban” to make the object in the sentence.
This is a typical usage of “hakobu”. In the example, it works together with the case particle, “wo”, to have the object. When we want to mean ‘to carry’ in Japanese, anyway, this verb is a very good option.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “hakobu” and how to use it through the example sentence. In the rest part of this blog post, I will explain its major conjugations. The first one is “hakobanai”.
Hakobanai: the nai form of “hakobu”
Below are the definition and meanings of “hakobanai”.
- hakobanai – 運ばない (はこばない) : the nai form of “hakobu”, which means ‘not to carry’, ‘not to transport’, or ‘not to convey’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “hakobanai” consists of the following two parts:
- hakoba – 運ば (はこば) : one conjugation of “hakobu”. 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 “hakobanai” is literally the nai form of “hakobu” and means ‘not to carry’, ‘not to transport’, or ‘not to convey’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to say “not carry” in Japanese
watashi wa omoi mono wo hakobanai – 私は重いものを運ばない (わたしはおもいものをはこばない)
I don’t carry heavy things.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- omoi – 重い (おもい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘heavy’ in Japanese.
- mono – もの : a noun meaning ‘thing’ or such in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
This is a typical usage of “hakobanai”. When we want to mean ‘not to carry’ in Japanese, this nai form is a good option.
Hakobou: the volitional form of “hakobu”
Below are the definition and meanings of “hakobou”.
- hakobou – 運ぼう (はこぼう) : the volitional form of “hakobu”, which expresses volition to carry, transport, or convey.
Grammatically, “hakobou” consists of the following two parts:
- hakobo – 運ぼ (はこぼ) : one conjugation of “hakobu”. 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 “hakobou” is literally the volitional form of “hakobu” and expresses volition to carry, transport, or convey in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #3: how to say “let’s carry” in Japanese
kono zou wo kyoukai made hakobou – この像を教会まで運ぼう (このぞうをきょうかいまではこぼう)
Let’s carry this statue to the church!
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kono – この : a determiner used before a noun referring to a thing close to the speaker. In the example, this is used before “zou” to say “this statue” in Japanese.
- zou – 像 (ぞう) : a noun meaning ‘statue’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- kyoukai – 教会 (きょうかい) : a noun meaning ‘church’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- made – まで : an adverbial particle used to say where someone or something goes. In the example, this is used after “kyoukai” to indicate the place to which the speakers carry the statue.
This is a typical usage of “hakobou”. In this example, it works to make the suggestion. When we want to say “let’s carry” in Japanese, this volitional form is a good option.
Hakobimasu: the masu form of “hakobu”
Below are the definition and meanings of “hakobimasu”.
- hakobimasu – 運びます (はこびます) : the masu form of “hakobu”, which means ‘to carry’, ‘to transport’, or ‘to convey’ politely in Japanese.
Grammatically, “hakobimasu” consists of the following two parts:
- hakobi – 運び (はこび) : one conjugation of “hakobu”. 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 “hakobimasu” is literally the masu form of “hakobu” and means ‘to carry’, ‘to transport’, or ‘to convey’ politely in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #4: how to say “carry” politely in Japanese
seito wa toshoshitsu made hon wo hakobimasu – 生徒は図書室まで本を運びます (せいとはきょうしつまでほんをはこびます)
Students carry books to the library.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- seito – 生徒 (せいと) : a noun meaning ‘student’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- toshoshitsu – 図書室 (としょしつ) : a noun meaning ‘library’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- hon – 本 (ほん) : a noun meaning ‘book’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
This is a typical usage of “hakobimasu”. 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 “carry” politely in Japanese, this form is a good option.
Hakonda: the past tense form of “hakobu”
Below are the definition and meanings of “hakonda”.
- hakonda – 運んだ (はこんだ) : the past tense form of “hakobu”, which means ‘carried’, ‘transported’, ‘conveyed’, or such in Japanese.
Grammatically, “hakonda” consists of the following two parts:
- hakon – 運ん (はこん) : one conjugation of “hakobu”. This can have a smooth connection with “da”.
- da – だ : the voiced version of “ta” which is an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “hakonda” is literally the past tense form of “hakobu” and means ‘carried’, ‘transported’, ‘conveyed’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #5: how to say “carried” in Japanese
kanojo tachi wa toshoshitsu made hon wo hakonda – 彼女達は図書室まで本を運んだ (かのじょたちはとしょしつまでほんをはこんだ)
They carried the books to the library.
Below is the new word used in the example sentence.
- tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to make its plural form, “kanojo tachi”, which means ‘they’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “hakonda”. When we want to use the past tense form of “hakobu”, this form is the best option.
Hakonde: the te form of “hakobu”
Below are the definition and meanings of “hakonde”.
- hakonde – 運んで (はこんで) : the te form of “hakobu”, which means ‘to carry’, ‘to transport’, or ‘to convey’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “hakonde” consists of the following two parts:
- hakon – 運ん (はこん) : one conjugation of “hakobu”. This can have a smooth connection with “de”.
- de – で : the voiced version of “te” which is a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “hakonde” is literally the te form of “hakobu”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “hakonde” is very useful when we want to use “hakobu” in front of another verb, an adjective, or an auxiliary verb. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #6: how to say “please carry” in Japanese
watashi no kaban wo kuruma made hakonde kudasai – 私の鞄を車まで運んでください (わたしのかばんをくるままではこんでください)
Please carry my bag to the car.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kuruma – 車 (くるま) : a noun meaning ‘car’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- kudasai – ください : one conjugation of the verb, “kudasaru”, which means ‘to give’ or such in Japanese. When this follows a verb, however, this can work like an auxiliary verb to add the meaning of ‘please’ in Japanese. In the example, this works like an auxiliary verb after “hakonde” to add the meaning of ‘please’.
This is a typical usage of “hakonde”. In the example, it has the smooth connection with “kudasai”. When we want to use “hakobu” in front of another verb like this, its te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
Hakobeba: the ba form of “hakobu”
Lastly, let me explain the definition and meanings of “hakobeba”.
- hakobeba – 運べば (はこべば) : the ba form of “hakobu”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to carry’, ‘to transport’, or ‘to convey’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “hakobeba” consists of the following two parts:
- hakobe – 運べ (はこべ) : one conjugation of “hakobu”. 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 “hakobeba” is literally the ba form of “hakobu”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So we can use “hakobeba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to carry’, ‘to transport’, or ‘to convey’ in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #7: how to say “if carry” in Japanese
omoi mono wo hakobeba, koshi wo itameru yo – 重いものを運べば、腰を痛めるよ (おもいものをはこべば、こしをいためるよ)
If you carry heavy things, you will hurt your lower back.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- koshi – 腰 (こし) : a noun meaning ‘lower back’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- itameru – 痛める (いためる) : a verb meaning ‘to hurt’ in Japanese.
- yo – よ : a sentence-ending particle used to state the fact or idea in a soft way. As the definition suggests, this is used at the end of the second clause to state the speaker’s idea softly.
This is a typical usage of “hakobeba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “omoi mono wo hakobeba”, which means ‘if you carry heavy things’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to carry’ in Japanese, this ba form is a good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “hakobu” together with its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- hakobu – 運ぶ (はこぶ) : a verb meaning ‘to carry’ in Japanese. Depending on the context and situation, this can also mean ‘to transport’ or ‘to convey’ in Japanese.
- hakobanai – 運ばない (はこばない) : the nai form of “hakobu”, which means ‘not to carry’, ‘not to transport’, or ‘not to convey’ in Japanese.
- hakobou – 運ぼう (はこぼう) : the volitional form of “hakobu”, which expresses volition to carry, transport, or convey.
- hakobimasu – 運びます (はこびます) : the masu form of “hakobu”, which means ‘to carry’, ‘to transport’, or ‘to convey’ politely in Japanese.
- hakonda – 運んだ (はこんだ) : the past tense form of “hakobu”, which means ‘carried’, ‘transported’, ‘conveyed’, or such in Japanese.
- hakonde – 運んで (はこんで) : the te form of “hakobu”, which means ‘to carry’, ‘to transport’, or ‘to convey’ in Japanese. When we want to use “hakobu” in front of another verb, this te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
- hakobeba – 運べば (はこべば) : the ba form of “hakobu”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to carry’, ‘to transport’, or ‘to convey’ in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
