What does “narau” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “narau” normally to mean ‘to learn’ 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 “narau” more properly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
- Definition and meanings of “narau”
- Narawanai: the nai form of “narau”
- Naraou: the volitional form of “narau”
- Naraimasu: the masu form of “narau”
- Naratta: the ta form of “narau”
- Naratte: the te form of “narau”
- Naraeba: the ba form of “narau”
- Summary
Definition and meanings of “narau”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “narau”.
- narau – 習う/倣う (ならう) : a verb meaning ‘to learn’ or ‘to imitate’ in Japanese.
“Narau” has two different kanji expressions. The first one is used to mean ‘to learn’ in Japanese. The second one is used to mean ‘to imitate’. The first one is much more common, so basically we can focus on it.
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 “learn” in Japanese
watashi tachi wa nihongo wo narau – 私達は日本語を習う (わたしたちはにほんごをならう)
We learn Japanese.
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. Learn more about Japanese plural.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “watashi tachi” to make the subject in the sentence.
- nihongo – 日本語 (にほんご) : a noun meaning ‘Japanese’ in Japanese.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “nihongo” to make the object in the sentence.
This is a typical usage of “narau”. In the example, it works together with the case particle, “wo”, to have the object. When we want to mean ‘to learn’ in Japanese, anyway, this verb is a very good option.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “narau” 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 “narawanai”.
Narawanai: the nai form of “narau”
Below are the definition and meanings of “narawanai”.
- narawanai – 習わない/倣わない (ならわない) : the nai form of “narau”, which means ‘not to learn’ or ‘not to imitate’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “narawanai” consists of the following two parts:
- narawa – 習わ/倣わ (ならわ) : one conjugation of “narau”. 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 “narawanai” is literally the nai form of “narau” and means ‘not to learn’ or ‘not to imitate’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this nai form through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to say “don’t learn” in Japanese
kanojo tachi wa nihongo wo narawanai – 彼女達は日本語を習わない (かのじょたちはにほんごをならわない)
They don’t learn Japanese.
Below is the new word used in the example sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “narawanai”. When we want to mean ‘not to learn’ in Japanese, this nai form is a good option.
Naraou: the volitional form of “narau”
Below are the definition and meanings of “naraou”.
- naraou – 習おう/倣おう (ならおう) : the volitional form of “narau”, which expresses volition to learn or imitate.
Grammatically, “naraou” consists of the following two parts:
- narao – 習お/倣お (ならお) : one conjugation of “narau”. 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 “naraou” is literally the volitional form of “narau” and expresses volition to learn or imitate. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #3: how to say “let’s learn” in Japanese
issho ni eigo wo naraou – 一緒に英語を習おう (いっしょにえいごをならおう)
Let’s learn English 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.
- eigo – 英語 (えいご) : a noun meaning ‘English’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “naraou”. In this example, it works to make the suggestion. When we want to say “let’s learn” in Japanese, this volitional form is a good option.
Naraimasu: the masu form of “narau”
Below are the definition and meanings of “naraimasu”.
- naraimasu – 習います/倣います (ならいます) : the masu form of “narau”, which means ‘to learn’ or ‘to imitate’ politely in Japanese.
Grammatically, “naraimasu” consists of the following two parts:
- narai – 習い/倣い (ならい) : one conjugation of “narau”. 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 “naraimasu” is literally the masu form of “narau” and means ‘to learn’ or ‘to imitate’ politely in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #4: how to say “learn” politely in Japanese
kodomo tachi mo eigo wo naraimasu – 子供達も英語を習います (こどもたちもえいごをならいます)
Children learn English, too.
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.
- 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 “kodomo tachi” to make the subject in the sentence with adding the meaning of ‘too’.
This is a typical usage of “naraimasu”. 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 “learn” politely in Japanese, this form is a very good option.
Naratta: the ta form of “narau”
Below are the definition and meanings of “naratta”.
- naratta – 習った/倣った (ならった) : the ta form of “narau”, which means ‘learnt’, ‘imitated’, or such in Japanese.
Grammatically, “naratta” consists of the following two parts:
- narat – 習っ/倣っ (ならっ) : one conjugation of “narau”. 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 “naratta” is literally the ta form of “narau” and means ‘learnt’, ‘imitated’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #5: how to say “learnt” in Japanese
boku tachi wa eigo no aisatsu wo naratta – 僕達は英語の挨拶を習った (ぼくたちはえいごのあいさつをならった)
We learnt some English greetings.
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.
- 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 “eigo” and “aisatsu”. The formed phrase literally means ‘English greetings’ in Japanese.
- aisatsu – 挨拶 (あいさつ) : a noun meaning ‘greeting’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
This is a typical usage of “naratta”. When we want to use the past tense form of “narau”, this ta form is the best option.
Naratte: the te form of “narau”
Below are the definition and meanings of “naratte”.
- naratte – 習って/倣って (ならって) : the te form of “narau”, which means ‘to learn’ or ‘to imitate’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “naratte” consists of the following two parts:
- narat – 習っ/倣っ (ならっ) : one conjugation of “narau”. 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 “naratte” is literally the te form of “narau”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “naratte” is very useful when we want to use “narau” 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 learn” in Japanese
kare kara eigo wo naratte kudasai – 彼から英語を習ってください (かれからえいごをならってください)
Please learn English from him.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
- kara – から : a case particle used to say who starts an action. In the example, this is used after “kare” to indicate from whom the listeners learn English.
- 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 “naratte” to add the meaning of ‘please’.
This is a typical usage of “naratte”. In the example, it has the smooth connection with “kudasai”. When we want to use “narau” in front of another verb like this, its te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
Naraeba: the ba form of “narau”
Lastly, let me explain the definition and meanings of “naraeba”.
- naraeba – 習えば/倣えば (ならえば) : the ba form of “narau”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to learn’ or ‘to imitate’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “naraeba” consists of the following two parts:
- narae – 習え/倣え (ならえ) : one conjugation of “narau”. 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 “naraeba” is literally the ba form of “narau”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “naraeba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to learn’ or ‘to imitate’ in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #7: how to say “if learn” in Japanese
nihongo wo naraeba, kanojo to hanaseru – 日本語を習えば、彼女と話せる (にほんごをならえば、かのじょとはなせる)
If you learn Japanese, you can talk with her.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- to – と : a case particle used to say with whom someone does something. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to say with whom the listener can talk.
- hanaseru – 話せる (はなせる) : a potential verb meaning ‘can talk’ or ‘to be able to talk’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “naraeba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “nihongo wo naraeba”, which means ‘if you learn Japanese’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to learn’ in Japanese, this ba form is a good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “narau” together with its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- narau – 習う/倣う (ならう) : a verb meaning ‘to learn’ or ‘to imitate’ in Japanese.
- narawanai – 習わない/倣わない (ならわない) : the nai form of “narau”, which means ‘not to learn’ or ‘not to imitate’ in Japanese.
- naraou – 習おう/倣おう (ならおう) : the volitional form of “narau”, which expresses volition to learn or imitate.
- naraimasu – 習います/倣います (ならいます) : the masu form of “narau”, which means ‘to learn’ or ‘to imitate’ politely in Japanese.
- naratta – 習った/倣った (ならった) : the ta form of “narau”, which means ‘learnt’, ‘imitated’, or such in Japanese.
- naratte – 習って/倣って (ならって) : the te form of “narau”, which means ‘to learn’ or ‘to imitate’ in Japanese. When we want to use “narau” in front of another verb, this te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
- naraeba – 習えば/倣えば (ならえば) : the ba form of “narau”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to learn’ or ‘to imitate’ in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
