What does “homeru” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “homeru” to mean ‘to praise’ 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 “homeru” more properly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
- Definition and meaning of “homeru”
- Homenai: the nai form of “homeru”
- Homeyou: the volitional form of “homeru”
- Homemasu: the masu form of “homeru”
- Hometa: the ta form of “homeru”
- Homete: the te form of “homeru”
- Homereba: the ba form of “homeru”
- Summary
Definition and meaning of “homeru”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “homeru”.
- homeru – 褒める/誉める (ほめる) : a verb meaning ‘to praise’ in Japanese.
“Homeru” has two different kanji expressions. The first one is much more common, so basically we can focus on it.
The definition and meaning are simple and clear, I think. Then, let me explain how to use this verb through the example sentence below.
Example #1: how to say “praise” in Japanese
watashi no ryoushin wa itsumo imouto wo homeru – 私の両親はいつも妹を褒める (わたしのりょうしんはいつもいもうとをほめる)
My parents always praise my little sister.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ 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 “watashi” to make its possessive case, “watashi no“, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.
- ryoushin – 両親 (りょうしん) : a noun meaning ‘parents’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “watashi no ryoushin” to make the subject in the sentence.
- itsumo – いつも : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘always’ in Japanese.
- imouto – 妹 (いもうと) : a noun meaning ‘little sister’ 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 “imouto” to make the object in the sentence.
This is a typical usage of “homeru”. In the example, it works together with the case particle, “wo”, to have the object. When we want to mean ‘to praise’ in Japanese, anyway, this verb is a very good option.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “homeru” 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 “homenai”.
Homenai: the nai form of “homeru”
Below are the definition and meaning of “homenai”.
- homenai – 褒めない/誉めない (ほめない) : the nai form of “homeru”, which means ‘not to praise’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “homenai” consists of the following two parts:
- home – 褒め/誉め (ほめ) : one conjugation of “homeru”. 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 “homenai” is literally the nai form of “homeru” and means ‘not to praise’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to say “don’t praise” in Japanese
karera wa watashi wo homenai – 彼等は私を褒めない (かれらはわたしをほめない)
They don’t praise me.
Below is the new word used in the example sentence.
- karera – 彼等 (かれら) : a pronoun meaning ‘they’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “homenai”. When we want to mean ‘not to praise’ in Japanese, this nai form is a good option.
Homeyou: the volitional form of “homeru”
Below are the definition and meaning of “homeyou”.
- homeyou – 褒めよう/誉めよう (ほめよう) : the volitional form of “homeru”, which expresses volition to praise.
Grammatically, “homeyou” consists of the following two parts:
- home – 褒め/誉め (ほめ) : one conjugation of “homeru”. This can have a smooth connection with “you”.
- you – よう : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make its volitional form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “homeyou” is literally the volitional form of “homeru” and expresses volition to praise. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #3: how to say “let’s praise” in Japanese
otagai wo homeyou – お互いを褒めよう (おたがいをほめよう)
Let’s praise each other!
Below is the new word used in the example sentence.
- otagai – お互い (おたがい) : the polite form of “tagai” which means ‘each other’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “homeyou”. In this example, it works to make the suggestion. When we want to say “let’s praise” in Japanese, this volitional form is a good option.
Homemasu: the masu form of “homeru”
Below are the definition and meaning of “homemasu”.
- homemasu – 褒めます/誉めます (ほめます) : the masu form of “homeru”, which means ‘to praise’ politely in Japanese.
Grammatically, “homemasu” consists of the following two parts:
- home – 褒め/誉め (ほめ) : one conjugation of “homeru”. 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 “homemasu” is literally the masu form of “homeru” and means ‘to praise’ politely in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #4: how to say “praise” politely in Japanese
sensei wa seito wo homemasu – 先生は生徒を褒めます (せんせいはせいとをほめます)
Teachers praise students.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- sensei – 先生 (せんせい) : a noun meaning ‘teacher’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- seito – 生徒 (せいと) : a noun meaning ‘student’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
This is a typical usage of “homemasu”. 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 “praise” politely in Japanese, this form is a very good option.
Hometa: the ta form of “homeru”
Below are the definition and meanings of “hometa”.
- hometa – 褒めた/誉めた (ほめた) : the ta form of “homeru”, which means ‘praised’ or such in Japanese.
Grammatically, “hometa” consists of the following two parts:
- home – 褒め/誉め (ほめ) : one conjugation of “homeru”. 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 “hometa” is literally the ta form of “homeru” and means ‘praised’ or such in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #5: how to say “praised” in Japanese
kanojo wa boku wo hometa – 彼女は僕を褒めた (かのじょはぼくをほめた)
She praised me.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
- boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
This is a typical usage of “hometa”. When we want to use the past tense form of “homeru”, this ta form is the best option.
Homete: the te form of “homeru”
Below are the definition and meaning of “homete”.
- homete – 褒めて/誉めて (ほめて) : the te form of “homeru”, which means ‘to praise’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “homete” consists of the following two parts:
- home – 褒め/誉め (ほめ) : one conjugation of “homeru”. 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 “homete” is literally the te form of “homeru”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “homete” is very useful when we want to use “homeru” 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 praise” in Japanese
kodomo wo homete kudasai – 子供を褒めてください (こどもをほめてください)
Please praise your children.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kodomo – 子供 (こども) : a noun meaning ‘child’ or ‘kid’ 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 the example, this works like an auxiliary verb after “homete” to add the meaning of ‘please’.
This is a typical usage of “homete”. In the example, it has the smooth connection with “kudasai”. When we want to use “homeru” in front of another verb like this, its te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
Homereba: the ba form of “homeru”
Lastly, let me explain the definition and meaning of “homereba”.
- homereba – 褒めれば/誉めれば (ほめれば) : the ba form of “homeru”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to praise’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “homereba” consists of the following two parts:
- homere – 褒めれ/誉めれ (ほめれ) : one conjugation of “homeru”. 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 “homereba” is literally the ba form of “homeru”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “homereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to praise’ in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #7: how to say “if praise” in Japanese
seito wo homereba, karera wa ii seiseki wo toru – 生徒を褒めれば、彼等は良い成績を取る (せいとをほめれば、かれらはいいせいせきをとる)
If you praise your students, they will get better grades.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- ii – 良い (いい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘good’ or such in Japanese.
- seiseki – 成績 (せいせき) : a noun meaning ‘grade’ or ‘score’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- toru – 取る (とる) : a verb meaning ‘to get’ or such in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “homereba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “seito wo homereba”, which means ‘if you praise your students’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to praise’ in Japanese, this ba form is a good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “homeru” together with its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- homeru – 褒める/誉める (ほめる) : a verb meaning ‘to praise’ in Japanese. This verb has two different kanji expressions. The first one is much more common, so basically we can focus on it.
- homenai – 褒めない/誉めない (ほめない) : the nai form of “homeru”, which means ‘not to praise’ in Japanese.
- homeyou – 褒めよう/誉めよう (ほめよう) : the volitional form of “homeru”, which expresses volition to praise.
- homemasu – 褒めます/誉めます (ほめます) : the masu form of “homeru”, which means ‘to praise’ politely in Japanese.
- hometa – 褒めた/誉めた (ほめた) : the ta form of “homeru”, which means ‘praised’ or such in Japanese.
- homete – 褒めて/誉めて (ほめて) : the te form of “homeru”, which means ‘to praise’ in Japanese. When we want to use “homeru” in front of another verb, this te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
- homereba – 褒めれば/誉めれば (ほめれば) : the ba form of “homeru”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to praise’ in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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