What does “naosu” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “naosu” to mean ‘to repair’, ‘to fix’, ‘to cure’, ‘to heal’, or such 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 “naosu” more properly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
- Definition and meanings of “naosu”
- Naosanai: the nai form of “naosu”
- Naosou: the volitional form of “naosu”
- Naoshimasu: the masu form of “naosu”
- Naoshita: the ta form of “naosu”
- Naoshite: the te form of “naosu”
- Naoseba: the ba form of “naosu”
- Summary
Definition and meanings of “naosu”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “naosu”.
- naosu – 直す/治す (なおす) : a verb meaning ‘to repair’, ‘to fix’, ‘to cure’, ‘to heal’, or such in Japanese.
“Naosu” has two different kanji expressions. Japanese native speakers use the first one to mean ‘to repair’ or ‘to fix’. They use the second one to mean ‘to cure’ or ‘to heal’. We need to use a proper one depending on the context and situation. Seemingly, however, both have the same concept: to make something back to its original state or condition.
The definition and meanings are not that difficult, I think. Then, let me explain how to use “naosu” through the example sentence below.
Example #1: how to say “fix” in Japanese
tamani boku wa megane wo naosu – たまに僕は眼鏡を直す (たまにぼくはめがねをなおす)
Occasionally, I fix my glasses.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- tamani – たまに : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘occasionally’ in Japanese.
- 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.
- megane – 眼鏡 (めがね) : a noun meaning ‘glasses’ in Japanese.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “megane” to make the object in the sentence.
This is a typical usage of “naosu”. In this example, it works together with the case particle, “wo”, to have the object.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “naosu” 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 “naosanai”.
Naosanai: the nai form of “naosu”
Below are the definition and meanings of “naosanai”.
- naosanai – 直さない/治さない (なおさない) : the nai form of “naosu”, which means ‘not to repair’, ‘not to fix’, ‘not to cure’, ‘not to heal’, or such in Japanese.
Grammatically, “naosanai” consists of the following two parts:
- naosa – 直さ/治さ (なおさ) : one conjugation of “naosu”. 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 “naosanai” is literally the nai form of “naosu” and means ‘not to repair’, ‘not to fix’, ‘not to cure’, ‘not to heal’, or such in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this nai form through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to say “doesn’t fix” in Japanese
watashi no kareshi wa kuruma wo naosanai – 私の彼氏は車を直さない (わたしのかれしはくるまをなおさない)
My boyfriend doesn’t fix our car.
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.
- kareshi – 彼氏 (かれし) : a noun meaning ‘boyfriend’ in Japanese.
- kuruma – 車 (くるま) : a noun meaning ‘car’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
This is a typical usage of “naosanai”. When we want to mean ‘not to fix’ in Japanese, this nai form is a good option.
Naosou: the volitional form of “naosu”
Below are the definition and meanings of “naosou”.
- naosou – 直そう/治そう (なおそう) : the volitional form of “naosu”, which expresses volition to repair, fix, cure, heal, or such.
Grammatically, “naosou” consists of the following two parts:
- naoso – 直そ/治そ (なおそ) : one conjugation of “naosu”. 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 “naosou” is literally the volitional form of “naosu” and expresses volition to repair, fix, cure, heal, or such. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #3: how to say “let’s fix” in Japanese
issho ni kore wo naosou – 一緒にこれを直そう (いっしょにこれをなおそう)
Let’s fix this 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.
- kore – これ : a demonstrative pronoun meaning ‘this’ or ‘it’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “naosou”. In this example, it works to make the suggestion. When we want to say “let’s fix” in Japanese, this volitional form is a good option.
Naoshimasu: the masu form of “naosu”
Below are the definition and meanings of “naoshimasu”.
- naoshimasu – 直します/治します (なおします) : the masu form of “naosu”, which means ‘to repair’, ‘to fix’, ‘to cure’, ‘to heal’, or such politely in Japanese.
Grammatically, “naoshimasu” consists of the following two parts:
- naoshi – 直し/治し (なおし) : one conjugation of “naosu”. 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 “naoshimasu” is literally the masu form of “naosu” and means ‘to repair’, ‘to fix’, ‘to cure’, ‘to heal’, or such politely in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #4: how to say “fix” politely in Japanese
watashi wa itsumo jibun de kuruma wo naoshimasu – 私はいつも自分で車を直します (わたしはいつもじぶんでくるまをなおします)
I always fix my car by myself.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- itsumo – いつも : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘always’ in Japanese.
- jibun – 自分 (じぶん) : a pronoun meaning ‘myself’ or such in Japanese.
- de – で : a case particle used to say how someone does something. In the example, this is used after “jibun” to say “by myself” in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “naoshimasu”. 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 “fix” politely in Japanese, this form is a very good option.
Naoshita: the ta form of “naosu”
Below are the definition and meanings of “naoshita”.
- naoshita – 直した/治した (なおした) : the ta form of “naosu”, which means ‘repaired’, ‘fixed’, ‘cured’, ‘healed’, or such in Japanese.
Grammatically, “naoshita” consists of the following two parts:
- naoshi – 直し/治し (なおし) : one conjugation of “naosu”. 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 “naoshita” is literally the ta form of “naosu” and means ‘repaired’, ‘fixed’, ‘cured’, ‘healed’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #5: how to say “cured” in Japanese
kusuri ga kanojo no zutsuu wo naoshita – 薬が彼女の頭痛を治した (くすりがかのじょのずつうをなおした)
The pill cured her headache.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kusuri – 薬 (くすり) : a noun meaning ‘pill’, ‘medicine’, or such 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 “kusuri” to make the subject in the sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese. In the example, this works together with “no” to say “her” in Japanese.
- zutsuu – 頭痛 (ずつう) : a noun meaning ‘headache’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
This is a typical usage of “naoshita”. When we want to use the past tense form of “naosu”, this ta form is the best option.
Naoshite: the te form of “naosu”
Below are the definition and meanings of “naoshite”.
- naoshite – 直して/治して (なおして) : the te form of “naosu”, which means ‘to repair’, ‘to fix’, ‘to cure’, ‘to heal’, or such in Japanese.
Grammatically, “naoshite” consists of the following two parts:
- naoshi – 直し/治し (なおし) : one conjugation of “naosu”. 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 “naoshite” is literally the te form of “naosu”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “naoshite” is very useful when we want to use “naosu” 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 cure” in Japanese
watashi no byouki wo naoshite kudasai – 私の病気を治してください (わたしのびょうきをなおしてください)
Please cure my disease.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- byouki – 病気 (びょうき) : a noun meaning ‘disease’ or such 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 “naoshite” to add the meaning of ‘please’.
This is a typical usage of “naoshite”. In the example, it has the smooth connection with “kudasai”. When we want to use “naosu” in front of another verb like this, its te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
Naoseba: the ba form of “naosu”
Lastly, let me explain the definition and meanings of “naoseba”.
- naoseba – 直せば/治せば (なおせば) : the ba form of “naosu”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to repair’, ‘to fix’, ‘to cure’, ‘to heal’, or such in Japanese.
Grammatically, “naoseba” consists of the following two parts:
- naose – 直せ/治せ (なおせ) : one conjugation of “naosu”. 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 “naoseba” is literally the ba form of “naosu”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “naoseba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to repair’, ‘to fix’, ‘to cure’, ‘to heal’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #7: how to say “if fix” in Japanese
denwa wo naoseba, mata tsukaeru – 電話を直せば、また使える (でんわをなおせば、またつかえる)
If you fix your phone, you can use it again.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- denwa – 電話 (でんわ) : a noun meaning ‘phone’ or ‘phone call’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- mata – また : an adverb meaning ‘again’ in Japanese.
- tsukaeru – 使える (つかえる) : a potential verb meaning ‘can use’ or ‘to be able to use’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “naoseba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “denwa wo naoseba”, which means ‘if you fix your phone’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to fix’ in Japanese, this ba form is a good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “naosu” together with its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- naosu – 直す/治す (なおす) : a verb meaning ‘to repair’, ‘to fix’, ‘to cure’, ‘to heal’, or such in Japanese. Japanese native speakers use the first kanji expression to mean ‘to repair’ or ‘to fix’. They use the second one to mean ‘to cure’ or ‘to heal’. We need to use a proper one depending on the context and situation. Seemingly, however, both have the same concept: to make something back to its original state or condition.
- naosanai – 直さない/治さない (なおさない) : the nai form of “naosu”, which means ‘not to repair’, ‘not to fix’, ‘not to cure’, ‘not to heal’, or such in Japanese.
- naosou – 直そう/治そう (なおそう) : the volitional form of “naosu”, which expresses volition to repair, fix, cure, heal, or such.
- naoshimasu – 直します/治します (なおします) : the masu form of “naosu”, which means ‘to repair’, ‘to fix’, ‘to cure’, ‘to heal’, or such politely in Japanese.
- naoshita – 直した/治した (なおした) : the ta form of “naosu”, which means ‘repaired’, ‘fixed’, ‘cured’, ‘healed’, or such in Japanese.
- naoshite – 直して/治して (なおして) : the te form of “naosu”, which means ‘to repair’, ‘to fix’, ‘to cure’, ‘to heal’, or such in Japanese. When we want to use “naosu” in front of another verb, this te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
- naoseba – 直せば/治せば (なおせば) : the ba form of “naosu”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to repair’, ‘to fix’, ‘to cure’, ‘to heal’, or such in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
