Odoru is the Japanese verb for ‘to dance’, explained

What does “odoru” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “odoru” to mean ‘to dance’ or ‘to jump up’ in Japanese. Probably, 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 this verb 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 “odoru” more properly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “odoru”
  • Example #1: how to say “dance” in Japanese
• Odoranai: the nai form of “odoru”
  • Example #2: how to say “don’t dance” in Japanese
• Odorou: the volitional form of “odoru”
  • Example #3: how to say “let’s dance” in Japanese
• Odorimasu: the masu form of “odoru”
  • Example #4: how to say “dance” politely in Japanese
• Odotta: the ta form of “odoru”
  • Example #5: how to say “danced” in Japanese
• Odotte: the te form of “odoru”
  • Example #6: how to say “dance and” in Japanese
• Odoreba: the ba form of “odoru”
  • Example #7: how to say “if dance” in Japanese
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “odoru”

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

• odoru – 踊る/躍る (おどる) : a verb meaning ‘to dance’ or ‘to jump up’ in Japanese.

This verb has two different kanji expressions. The first one is much more common and means ‘to dance’; the second one means ‘to jump up’.

The definition and meanings are simple and clear, I think. Then, let me explain how to use this verb through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to say “dance” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• tokidoki – 時々 (ときどき) : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘sometimes’ 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.
• ie – 家 (いえ) : a noun meaning ‘home’ or ‘house’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• de – で : a case particle used to say where someone does something. In the example, this is used after “ie” to say where the speaker sometimes dances.

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

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “odoru” 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 “odoranai”.

Odoranai: the nai form of “odoru”

Below are the definition and meanings of “odoranai”.

• odoranai – 踊らない/躍らない (おどらない) : the nai form of “odoru”, which means ‘not to dance’ or ‘not to jump up’ in Japanese.

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

• odora – 踊ら/躍ら (おどら) : one conjugation of “odoru”. 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 “odoranai” is literally the nai form of “odoru” and means ‘not to dance’ or ‘not to jump up’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this nai form through the example sentence below.

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

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 “boku” to make its possessive case, “boku no”, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.
• tomodachi – 友達 (ともだち) : a noun meaning ‘friend’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.

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

Odorou: the volitional form of “odoru”

Below are the definition and meanings of “odorou”.

• odorou – 踊ろう/躍ろう (おどろう) : the volitional form of “odoru”, which expresses volition to dance or jump up.

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

• odoro – 踊ろ/躍ろ (おどろ) : one conjugation of “odoru”. 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 “odorou” is literally the volitional form of “odoru” and expresses volition to dance or jump up. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

Example #3: how to say “let’s dance” 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 “together” in Japanese.

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

Odorimasu: the masu form of “odoru”

Below are the definition and meanings of “odorimasu”.

• odorimasu – 踊ります/躍ります (おどります) : the masu form of “odoru”, which means ‘to dance’ or ‘to jump up’ politely in Japanese.

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

• odori – 踊り/躍り (おどり) : one conjugation of “odoru”. 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 “odorimasu” is literally the masu form of “odoru” and means ‘to dance’ or ‘to jump up’ politely in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• musume – 娘 (むすめ) : a noun meaning ‘daughter’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• mainichi – 毎日 (まいにち) : an adverb meaning ‘every day’ 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 “odorimasu”. 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 “dance” or “jump up” politely in Japanese, this form is a good option.

Odotta: the ta form of “odoru”

Below are the definition and meanings of “odotta”.

• odotta – 踊った/躍った (おどった) : the ta form of “odoru”, which means ‘danced’ or ‘jumped up’ in Japanese.

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

• odot – 踊っ/躍っ (おどっ) : one conjugation of “odoru”. 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 “odotta” is literally the ta form of “odoru” and means ‘danced’ or ‘jumped up’ in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

Example #5: how to say “danced” 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.
• kinou – 昨日 (きのう) : a noun meaning ‘yesterday’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb almost anywhere in a sentence. In the example, this works as an adverb to say “yesterday” in Japanese.
• kareshi – 彼氏 (かれし) : a noun meaning ‘boyfriend’ in Japanese.
• to – と : a case particle used to say with whom someone does something. In the example, this is used after “kareshi” to say with whom “kanojo” danced yesterday.

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

Odotte: the te form of “odoru”

Below are the definition and meanings of “odotte”.

• odotte – 踊って/躍って (おどって) : the te form of “odoru”, which means ‘to dance’ or ‘to jump up’ in Japanese.

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

• odot – 踊っ/躍っ (おどっ) : one conjugation of “odoru”. 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 “odotte” is literally the te form of “odoru”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “odotte” is very useful when we want to use “odoru” 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 “dance and” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to make its plural form, “kanojo tachi”, which means ‘they’ in Japanese.
• utau – 歌う (うたう) : a verb meaning ‘to sing’ in Japanese.

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

Odoreba: the ba form of “odoru”

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

• odoreba – 踊れば/躍れば (おどれば) : the ba form of “odoru”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to dance’ or ‘to jump up’ in Japanese.

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

• odore – 踊れ/躍れ (おどれ) : one conjugation of “odoru”. 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 “odoreba” is literally the ba form of “odoru”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “odoreba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to dance’ or ‘to jump up’ in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• koko – ここ : a demonstrative pronoun referring to a place close to the speaker. In the example, this works together with “de” to say “here” in Japanese.
• umaku – 上手く (うまく) : one conjugation of the i-adjective, “umai”, which means ‘well’ or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• yuumei – 有名 (ゆうめい) : a noun meaning ‘being famous’ in Japanese.
• ni – に : a case particle used to say what state someone or something is in after a change or action. In the example, this is used after “yuumei” to say what state the listener can be in after the action.
• na – な : one conjugation of the verb, “naru”, which means ‘to become’, ‘to turn’, ‘to get’, or ‘to be’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• reru – れる : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make its potential form. In the example, this is used after “na” to make its potential form, “na reru”, which means ‘can become’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “odoreba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “koko de umaku odoreba”, which means ‘if you dance well here’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to dance’, this ba form is a good option.

Summary

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

• odoru – 踊る/躍る (おどる) : a verb meaning ‘to dance’ or ‘to jump up’ in Japanese.
• odoranai – 踊らない/躍らない (おどらない) : the nai form of “odoru”, which means ‘not to dance’ or ‘not to jump up’ in Japanese.
• odorou – 踊ろう/躍ろう (おどろう) : the volitional form of “odoru”, which expresses volition to dance or jump up.
• odorimasu – 踊ります/躍ります (おどります) : the masu form of “odoru”, which means ‘to dance’ or ‘to jump up’ politely in Japanese.
• odotta – 踊った/躍った (おどった) : the ta form of “odoru”, which means ‘danced’ or ‘jumped up’ in Japanese.
• odotte – 踊って/躍って (おどって) : the te form of “odoru”, which means ‘to dance’ or ‘to jump up’ in Japanese. When we want to use “odoru” in front of another verb, this te form is useful to make a smooth connection.
• odoreba – 踊れば/躍れば (おどれば) : the ba form of “odoru”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to dance’ or ‘to jump up’ in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.