What does “mochiageru” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “mochiageru” normally to mean ‘to lift’ 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 “mochiageru” more properly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
- Definition and meanings of “mochiageru”
- Mochiagenai: the nai form of “mochiageru”
- Mochiageyou: the volitional form of “mochiageru”
- Mochiagemasu: the masu form of “mochiageru”
- Mochiageta: the ta form of “mochiageru”
- Mochiagete: the te form of “mochiageru”
- Mochiagereba: the ba form of “mochiageru”
- Summary
Definition and meanings of “mochiageru”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “mochiageru”.
- mochiageru – 持ち上げる (もちあげる) : a verb meaning ‘to lift’ in Japanese. Depending on the context and situation, this can also mean ‘to praise too much unnecessarily’.
Japanese native speakers use this verb normally to mean ‘to lift’ in Japanese. It’s also worth mentioning here that they sometimes use this to mean ‘to praise too much unnecessarily’. They lift someone up by words.
The definition and meanings are not that difficult, I think. Then, let me explain how to use this verb through the example sentence below.
Example #1: how to say “lift” in Japanese
watashi wa mainichi ueito wo mochiageru – 私は毎日ウエイトを持ち上げる (わたしはまいにちうえいとをもちあげる)
I lift weights every day.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “watashi” to make the subject in the sentence.
- mainichi – 毎日 (まいにち) : a noun meaning ‘every day’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb almost anywhere in a sentence. In the example, this works as an adverb in the middle of the sentence to say “every day” in Japanese.
- ueito – ウエイト (うえいと) : a noun meaning ‘weight’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural. This is an imported word.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “ueito” to make the object in the sentence.
This is a typical usage of “mochiageru”. In the example, it works together with the case particle, “wo”, to have the object. When we want to mean ‘to lift’ in Japanese, anyway, this verb is a good option.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “mochiageru” 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 “mochiagenai”.
Mochiagenai: the nai form of “mochiageru”
Below are the definition and meanings of “mochiagenai”.
- mochiagenai – 持ち上げない (もちあげない) : the nai form of “mochiageru”, which means ‘not to lift’ or ‘not to praise too much unnecessarily’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “mochiagenai” consists of the following two parts:
- mochiage – 持ち上げ (もちあげ) : one conjugation of “mochiageru”. 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 “mochiagenai” is literally the nai form of “mochiageru” and means ‘not to lift’ or ‘not to praise too much unnecessarily’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to say “not lift” in Japanese
watashi no imouto wa ueito wo mochiagenai – 私の妹はウエイトを持ち上げない (わたしのいもうとはうえいとをもちあげない)
My little sister doesn’t lift weights.
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.
- imouto – 妹 (いもうと) : a noun meaning ‘little sister’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
This is a typical usage of “mochiagenai”. When we want to mean ‘not to lift’ in Japanese, this nai form is a good option.
Mochiageyou: the volitional form of “mochiageru”
Below are the definition and meanings of “mochiageyou”.
- mochiageyou – 持ち上げよう (もちあげよう) : the volitional form of “mochiageru”, which expresses volition to lift or praise too much unnecessarily.
Grammatically, “mochiageyou” consists of the following two parts:
- mochiage – 持ち上げ (もちあげ) : one conjugation of “mochiageru”. This can have a smooth connection with “you”.
- you – an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make its volitional form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “mochiageyou” is literally the volitional form of “mochiageru” and expresses volition to lift or praise too much unnecessarily in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #3: how to say “let’s lift” in Japanese
ueito wo mochiageyou – ウエイトを持ち上げよう (うえいとをもちあげよう)
Let’s lift weights!
This is a typical usage of “mochiageyou”. In this example, it works to make the suggestion. When we want to say “let’s lift” in Japanese, this volitional form is a good option.
Mochiagemasu: the masu form of “mochiageru”
Below are the definition and meanings of “mochiagemasu”.
- mochiagemasu – 持ち上げます (もちあげます) : the masu form of “mochiageru”, which means ‘to lift’ or ‘to praise too much unnecessarily’ politely in Japanese.
Grammatically, “mochiagemasu” consists of the following two parts:
- mochiage – 持ち上げ (もちあげ) : one conjugation of “mochiageru”. 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 “mochiagemasu” is literally the masu form of “mochiageru” and means ‘to lift’ or ‘to praise too much unnecessarily’ politely in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #4: how to say “praise too much” politely in Japanese
kanojo wa itsumo boku wo mochiagemasu – 彼女はいつも僕を持ち上げます (かのじょはいつもぼくをもちあげます)
She always praises me too much.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
- itsumo – いつも : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘always’ 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 “mochiagemasu”. 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 too much” politely in Japanese, this form is a good option.
Mochiageta: the ta form of “mochiageru”
Below are the definition and meanings of “mochiageta”.
- mochiageta – 持ち上げた (もちあげた) : the past tense form of “mochiageru”, which means ‘lifted’, ‘praised too much unnecessarily’, or such in Japanese.
Grammatically, “mochiageta” consists of the following two parts:
- mochiage – 持ち上げ (もちあげ) : one conjugation of “mochiageru”. 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.
From these two parts, we can understand that “mochiageta” is literally the past tense form of “mochiageru” and means ‘lifted’, ‘praised too much unnecessarily’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #5: how to say “praised too much” in Japanese
kyou wa kare mo boku wo mochiageta – 今日は彼も僕を持ち上げた (きょうはかれもぼくをもちあげた)
Today he praised me too much, too.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kyou – 今日 (きょう) : a noun meaning ‘today’ in Japanese. In the example, this works together with the binding particle, “wa”, to make the adverb phrase in the sentence.
- kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
- mo – も : a binding particle making the subject word or the object word in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘too’, ‘also’, or ‘as well’. In the example, this works after “kare” to make the subject in the sentence with adding the meaning of ‘too’.
This is a typical usage of “mochiageta”. When we want to use the past tense form of “mochiageru”, this ta form is the best option.
Mochiagete: the te form of “mochiageru”
Below are the definition and meanings of “mochiagete”.
- mochiagete – 持ち上げて (もちあげて) : the te form of “mochiageru”, which means ‘to lift’ or ‘to praise too much unnecessarily’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “mochiagete” consists of the following two parts:
- mochiage – 持ち上げ (もちあげ) : one conjugation of “mochiageru”. 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 “mochiagete” is literally the te form of “mochiageru”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “mochiagete” is very useful when we want to use “mochiageru” 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 lift” in Japanese
ueito wo mochiagete kudasai – ウエイトを持ち上げてください (うえいとをもちあげてください)
Please lift weights.
Below is the new word used in the example sentence.
- 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 “mochiagete” to add the meaning of ‘please’.
This is a typical usage of “mochiagete”. In the example, it has the smooth connection with “kudasai”. When we want to use “mochiageru” in front of another verb like this, its te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
Mochiagereba: the ba form of “mochiageru”
Lastly, let me explain the definition and meanings of “mochiagereba”.
- mochiagereba – 持ち上げれば (もちあげれば) : the ba form of “mochiageru”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to lift’ or ‘to praise too much unnecessarily’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “mochiagereba” consists of the following two parts:
- mochiagere – 持ち上げれ (もちあげれ) : one conjugation of “mochiageru”. 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 “mochiagereba” is literally the ba form of “mochiageru”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “mochiagereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to lift’ or ‘to praise too much unnecessarily’ in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #7: how to say “if lift” in Japanese
ueito wo mochiagereba, kin’niku ga tsuku – ウエイトを持ち上げれば、筋肉が付く (うえいとをもちあげれば、きんにくがつく)
If you lift weights, you can gain muscle.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kin’niku – 筋肉 (きんにく) : a noun meaning ‘muscle’ in Japanese.
- ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “kin’niku” to make the subject in the second clause.
- tsuku – 付く (つく) : a verb meaning ‘to attach’ or such in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “mochiagereba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “ueito wo mochiagereba”, which means ‘if you lift weights’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to lift’ or ‘to praise too much unnecessarily’ in Japanese, this ba form is a good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “mochiageru” together with its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- mochiageru – 持ち上げる (もちあげる) : a verb meaning ‘to lift’ in Japanese. Depending on the context and situation, this can also mean ‘to praise too much unnecessarily’.
- mochiagenai – 持ち上げない (もちあげない) : the nai form of “mochiageru”, which means ‘not to lift’ or ‘not to praise too much unnecessarily’ in Japanese.
- mochiageyou – 持ち上げよう (もちあげよう) : the volitional form of “mochiageru”, which expresses volition to lift or praise too much unnecessarily.
- mochiagemasu – 持ち上げます (もちあげます) : the masu form of “mochiageru”, which means ‘to lift’ or ‘to praise too much unnecessarily’ politely in Japanese.
- mochiageta – 持ち上げた (もちあげた) : the past tense form of “mochiageru”, which means ‘lifted’, ‘praised too much unnecessarily’, or such in Japanese.
- mochiagete – 持ち上げて (もちあげて) : the te form of “mochiageru”, which means ‘to lift’ or ‘to praise too much unnecessarily’ in Japanese. When we want to use “mochiageru” in front of another verb, this te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
- mochiagereba – 持ち上げれば (もちあげれば) : the ba form of “mochiageru”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to lift’ or ‘to praise too much unnecessarily’ in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
