What does “manabu” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “manabu” to mean ‘to study’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this verb as it is sometimes used in Japanese textbooks. 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 “manabu” more properly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
- Definition and meanings of “manabu”
- Manabanai: the nai form of “manabu”
- Manabou: the volitional form of “manabu”
- Manabimasu: the masu form of “manabu”
- Mananda: the past tense form of “manabu”
- Manande: the te form of “manabu”
- Manabeba: the ba form of “manabu”
- Summary
Definition and meanings of “manabu”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “manabu”.
- manabu – 学ぶ (まなぶ) : a verb meaning ‘to study’ in Japanese. Depending on the context and situation, this can also mean ‘to learn’ in Japanese.
While “narau” focuses on skills, “manabu” focuses more on knowledge.
The definition and meanings are simple and clear. Then, let me explain how to use this verb through the example sentence below.
Example #1: how to say “study” in Japanese
seito wa nippon de geijutsu wo manabu – 生徒は日本で芸術を学ぶ (せいとはにっぽんでげいじゅつをまなぶ)
Students study art in Japan.
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. Learn more about Japanese plural.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “seito” to make the subject in the sentence.
- nippon – 日本 (にっぽん) : a noun meaning ‘Japan’ in Japanese.
- de – で : a case particle used to say where someone does something. In the example, this is used after “nippon” to say where the students study art.
- geijutsu – 芸術 (げいじゅつ) : a noun meaning ‘art’ in Japanese.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “geijutsu” to make the object in the sentence.
This is a typical usage of “manabu”. In the example, it works together with the case particle, “wo”, to have the object. When we want to mean ‘to study’ in Japanese, anyway, this verb is a very good option.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “manabu” 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 “manabanai”.
Manabanai: the nai form of “manabu”
Below are the definition and meanings of “manabanai”.
- manabanai – 学ばない (まなばない) : the nai form of “manabu”, which means ‘not to study’ or ‘not to learn’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “manabanai” consists of the following two parts:
- manaba – 学ば (まなば) : one conjugation of “manabu”. 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 “manabanai” is literally the nai form of “manabu” and means ‘not to study’ or ‘not to learn’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to say “not study” in Japanese
karera wa karera no rekishi wo manabanai – 彼等は彼等の歴史を学ばない (かれらはかれらのれきしをまなばない)
They don’t study their own history.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- karera – 彼等 (かれら) : a pronoun meaning ‘they’ 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 “karera” to make its possessive case, “karera no”, which means ‘their’ in Japanese.
- rekishi – 歴史 (れきし) : a noun meaning ‘history’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “manabanai”. When we want to mean ‘not to study’ in Japanese, this nai form is a very good option.
Manabou: the volitional form of “manabu”
Below are the definition and meanings of “manabou”.
- manabou – 学ぼう (まなぼう) : the volitional form of “manabu”, which expresses volition to study or learn.
Grammatically, “manabou” consists of the following two parts:
- manabo – 学ぼ (まなぼ) : one conjugation of “manabu”. 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 “manabou” is literally the volitional form of “manabu” and expresses volition to study or learn in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #3: how to say “let’s study” in Japanese
issho ni manabou – 一緒に学ぼう (いっしょにまなぼう)
Let’s study together!
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- issho – 一緒 (いっしょ) : a noun meaning ‘same’, ‘being together’, or such in Japanese.
- ni – に : a case particle used to say how someone does something. In the example, this is used after “issho” to say “together” in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “manabou”. In this example, it works to make the suggestion. When we want to say “let’s study” in Japanese, this volitional form is a good option.
Manabimasu: the masu form of “manabu”
Below are the definition and meanings of “manabimasu”.
- manabimasu – 学びます (まなびます) : the masu form of “manabu”, which means ‘to study’ or ‘to learn’ politely in Japanese.
Grammatically, “manabimasu” consists of the following two parts:
- manabi – 学び (まなび) : one conjugation of “manabu”. 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 “manabimasu” is literally the masu form of “manabu” and means ‘to study’ or ‘to learn’ politely in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #4: how to say “study” politely in Japanese
watashi tachi wa gakkou de geijutsu wo manabimasu – 私達は学校で芸術を学びます (わたしたちはがっこうでげいじゅつをまなびます)
We study art in 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. This can also work as plural.
This is a typical usage of “manabimasu”. 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 “study” politely in Japanese, this form is a good option.
Mananda: the past tense form of “manabu”
Below are the definition and meanings of “mananda”.
- mananda – 学んだ (まなんだ) : the past tense form of “manabu”, which means ‘studied’, ‘learnt’, or such in Japanese.
Grammatically, “mananda” consists of the following two parts:
- manan – 学ん (まなん) : one conjugation of “manabu”. 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 “mananda” is literally the past tense form of “manabu” and means ‘studied’, ‘learnt’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #5: how to say “studied” in Japanese
kanojo wa densetsu no sensei to mananda – 彼女は伝説の先生と学んだ (かのじょはでんせつのせんせいとまなんだ)
She studied with a legendary teacher.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
- densetu – 伝説 (でんせつ) : a noun meaning ‘legend’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- no – の : a case particle joining two nouns. Normally, the first one can work as a modifier to describe the second. In the example, this works to join “densetsu” and “sensei”. The formed phrase literally means a ‘legendary teacher’ in Japanese.
- sensei – 先生 (せんせい) : a noun meaning ‘teacher’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- to – と : a case particle used to say with whom someone does something. In the example, this is used after “densetsu no sensei” to say with whom she studied.
This is a typical usage of “mananda”. When we want to use the past tense form of “manabu”, this form is the best option.
Manande: the te form of “manabu”
Below are the definition and meanings of “manande”.
- manande – 学んで (まなんで) : the te form of “manabu”, which means ‘to study’ or ‘to learn’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “manande” consists of the following two parts:
- manan – 学ん (まなん) : one conjugation of “manabu”. 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 “manande” is literally the te form of “manabu”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make a chronological order in a sentence. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #6: how to say “study and” in Japanese
seito wa igaku wo manande isha ni naru – 生徒は医学を学んで医者になる (せいとはいがくをまなんでいしゃになる)
Students study medicine and become doctors.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- igaku – 医学 (いがく) : a noun meaning ‘medicine’ in Japanese.
- isha – 医者 (いしゃ) : a noun meaning ‘doctor’ in Japanese. This can also works as plural.
- ni – に : a case particle used to say what someone or something becomes after a change or action. In the example, this is used after “isha” to say what the students become after studying medicine.
- naru – なる : a verb meaning ‘to become’ or such in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “manande”. In the example, it make the chronological order in the sentence with meaning ‘to study’ in Japanese. When we want to make a chronological order in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to study’ in Japanese, its te form is very useful.
Manabeba: the ba form of “manabu”
Lastly, let me explain the definition and meanings of “manabeba”.
- manabeba – 学べば (まなべば) : the ba form of “manabu”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to study’ or ‘to learn’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “manabeba” consists of the following two parts:
- manabe – 学べ (まなべ) : one conjugation of “manabu”. 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 “manabeba” is literally the ba form of “manabu”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “manabeba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to study’ or ‘to learn’. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #7: how to say “if study” in Japanese
igaku wo manabeba, isha ni nareru – 医学を学べば、医者になれる (いがくをまなべば、いしゃになれる)
If you study medicine, you can become a doctor.
Below is the new word used in the example sentence.
- nareru – なれる : a potential verb meaning ‘can become’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “manabeba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “igaku wo manabeba”, which means ‘if you study medicine” in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to study’ in Japanese, this ba form is a good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “manabu” together with its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- manabu – 学ぶ (まなぶ) : a verb meaning ‘to study’ in Japanese. Depending on the context and situation, this can also mean ‘to learn’ in Japanese.
- manabanai – 学ばない (まなばない) : the nai form of “manabu”, which means ‘not to study’ or ‘not to learn’ in Japanese.
- manabou – 学ぼう (まなぼう) : the volitional form of “manabu”, which expresses volition to study or learn.
- manabimasu – 学びます (まなびます) : the masu form of “manabu”, which means ‘to study’ or ‘to learn’ politely in Japanese.
- mananda – 学んだ (まなんだ) : the past tense form of “manabu”, which means ‘studied’, ‘learnt’, or such in Japanese.
- manande – 学んで (まなんで) : the te form of “manabu”, which means ‘to study’ or ‘to learn’ in Japanese. When we want to make a chronological order in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to study’ in Japanese, this te form is very useful.
- manabeba – 学べば (まなべば) : the ba form of “manabu”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to study’ or ‘to learn’ in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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