Naku is the Japanese verb for ‘to cry’, explained

What does “naku” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “naku” to mean ‘to cry’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this verb as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, songs, novels, manga, anime, and the like. 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 to use “naku” more properly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “naku”
  • Example #1: how to say “cry” in Japanese
• Nakanai: the nai form of “naku”
  • Example #2: how to say “don’t cry” in Japanese
• Nakou: the volitional form of “naku”
  • Example #3: how to say “let’s cry” in Japanese
• Nakimasu: the masu form of “naku”
  • Example #4: how to say “cry” politely in Japanese
• Naita: the ta form of “naku”
  • Example #5: how to say “clicked (for dolphins)” in Japanese
• Naite: the te form of “naku”
  • Example #6: how to say “cry and” in Japanese
• Nakeba: the ba form of “naku”
  • Example #7: how to say “if cry” in Japanese
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “naku”

Let me start with the definition and meanings of “naku”.

• naku – 泣く/鳴く (なく) : a verb meaning ‘to cry’ or ‘to make sound’ in Japanese.

“Naku” has two different kanji expressions. The first one is used for people and means ‘to cry’; the second one is used for animals and means ‘to make sound’. We need to pick a proper expression depending on the subject.

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 “cry” in Japanese

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.
• tokidoki – 時々 (ときどき) : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘sometimes’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “naku”. When we want to mean ‘to cry’ in Japanese, this verb is a very good option.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “naku” 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 “nakanai”.

Nakanai: the nai form of “naku”

Below are the definition and meanings of “nakanai”.

• nakanai – 泣かない/鳴かない (なかない) : the nai form of “naku”, which means ‘not to cry’ or ‘not to make sound’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “nakanai” consists of the following two parts:

• naka – 泣か/鳴か (なか) : one conjugation of “naku”. 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 “nakanai” is literally the nai form of “naku” and means ‘not to cry’ or ‘not to make sound’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this nai form through the example sentence below.

Example #2: how to say “don’t cry” in Japanese

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.
• tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after “boku” to make its plural form, “boku tachi”, which means ‘we’ in Japanese. Learn more about Japanese plural.

This is a typical usage of “nakanai”. When we want to mean ‘not to cry’ in Japanese, this nai form is a good option.

Nakou: the volitional form of “naku”

Below are the definition and meaning of “nakou”.

• nakou – 泣こう (なこう) : the volitional form of “naku”, which expresses volition to cry.

Grammatically, “nakou” consists of the following two parts:

• nako – 泣こ (なこ) : one conjugation of “naku”. 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 “nakou” is literally the volitional form of “naku” and expresses volition to cry. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

Example #3: how to say “let’s cry” in Japanese

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 how the speakers cry.

This is a typical usage of “nakou”. In this example, it works to make the suggestion. When we want to say “let’s cry” in Japanese, this volitional form is a good option.

Nakimasu: the masu form of “naku”

Below are the definition and meanings of “nakimasu”.

• nakimasu – 泣きます/鳴きます (なきます) : the masu form of “naku”, which means ‘to cry’ or ‘to make sound’ politely in Japanese.

Grammatically, “nakimasu” consists of the following two parts:

• naki – 泣き/鳴き (なき) : one conjugation of “naku”. 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 “nakimasu” is literally the masu form of “naku” and means ‘to cry’ or ‘to make sound’ politely in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

Example #4: how to say “cry” politely in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• megami – 女神 (めがみ) : a noun meaning ‘goddess’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• mo – も : a binding particle making the subject word or the object word in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘also’, ‘as well’, or ‘too’. In the example, this works after “megami” to make the subject in the sentence with adding the meaning of ‘too’.

This is a typical usage of “nakimasu”. 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 “cry” politely in Japanese. this form is a good option.

Naita: the ta form of “naku”

Below are the definition and meanings of “naita”.

• naita – 泣いた/鳴いた (ないた) : the ta form of “naku”, which means ‘cried’ or ‘made sound’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “naita” consists of the following two parts:

• nai – 泣い/鳴い (ない) : one conjugation of “naku”. 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 “naita” is literally the ta form of “naku” and means ‘cried’ or ‘made sound’ in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

Example #5: how to say “clicked (for dolphins)” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• iruka – 海豚 (いるか) : a noun meaning ‘dolphin’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• 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 “iruka tachi” to make the subject in the sentence.

This is a typical usage of “naita”. When we want to use the past tense form of “naku”, this ta form is the best option.

Dolphins are animals, so we can use the kanji expression, 鳴いた, in this example sentence. And for the dolphins, ‘made sound’ can be interpreted as ‘clicked’, I think.

Naite: the te form of “naku”

Below are the definition and meanings of “naite”.

• naite – 泣いて/鳴いて (ないて) : the te form of “naku”, which means ‘to cry’ or ‘to make sound’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “naite” consists of the following two parts:

• nai – 泣い/鳴い (ない) : one conjugation of “naku”. 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 “naite” is literally the te form of “naku”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “naite” is very useful when we want to use “naku” 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 “cry and” in Japanese

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.
• neru – 寝る (ねる) : a verb meaning ‘to go to bed’ or ‘to sleep’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “naite”. In this example, it has the smooth connection with “neru”. When we want to use “naku” in front of another verb like this, its te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.

Nakeba: the ba form of “naku”

Lastly, let me explain the definition and meanings of “nakeba”.

• nakeba – 泣けば/鳴けば (なけば) : the ba form of “naku”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to cry’ or ‘to make sound’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “nakeba” consists of the following two parts:

• nake – 泣け/鳴け (なけ) : one conjugation of “naku”. 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 “nakeba” is literally the ba form of “naku”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “nakeba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to cry’ or ‘to make sound’ in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence.

Example #7: how to say “if cry” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kimi – 君 (きみ) : a pronoun meaning ‘you’ in Japanese.
• kanashii – 悲しい (かなしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘sad’ 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 example sentence to state the speaker’s idea softly.

This is a typical usage of “nakeba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “kimi ga nakeba”, which means ‘if you cry’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to cry’ or ‘to make sound’ in Japanese, this ba form is a good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “naku” together with its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• naku – 泣く/鳴く (なく) : a verb meaning ‘to cry’ or ‘to make sound’ in Japanese.
• nakanai – 泣かない/鳴かない (なかない) : the nai form of “naku”, which means ‘not to cry’ or ‘not to make sound’ in Japanese.
• nakou – 泣こう (なこう) : the volitional form of “naku”, which expresses volition to cry.
• nakimasu – 泣きます/鳴きます (なきます) : the masu form of “naku”, which means ‘to cry’ or ‘to make sound’ politely in Japanese.
• naita – 泣いた/鳴いた (ないた) : the ta form of “naku”, which means ‘cried’ or ‘made sound’ in Japanese.
• naite – 泣いて/鳴いて (ないて) : the te form of “naku”, which means ‘to cry’ or ‘to make sound’ in Japanese. When we want to use “naku” in front of another verb, this te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
• nakeba – 泣けば/鳴けば (なけば) : the ba form of “naku”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to cry’ or ‘to make sound’ in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.