Okiru is the Japanese verb for ‘to get up’ or such, explained

What does “okiru” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “okiru” to mean ‘to get up’, ‘to wake up’, ‘to happen’, or ‘to occur’ in Japanese. Probably, some Japanese learners know this verb as it is sometimes used in Japanese textbooks. 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 “okiru” more properly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “okiru”
  • Example #1: how to say “get up” in Japanese
• Okinai: the nai form of “okiru”
  • Example #2: how to say “don’t get up” in Japanese
• Okiyou: the volitional form of “okiru”
  • Example #3: how to say “let’s get up” in Japanese
• Okimasu: the masu form of “okiru”
  • Example #4: how to say “get up” politely in Japanese
• Okita: the ta form of “okiru”
  • Example #5: how to say “happened” in Japanese
• Okite: the te form of “okiru”
  • Example #6: how to say “get up and” in Japanese
• Okireba: the ba form of “okiru”
  • Example #7 : how to say “if get up” in Japanese
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “okiru”

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

• okiru – 起きる (おきる) : a verb meaning ‘to get up’, ‘to wake up’, ‘to occur’, or ‘to happen’ in Japanese.

This verb has several meanings, but the very basic concept is to become active spontaneously. Then, let me explain how to use this verb through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to say “get up” 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.
• 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.
• tokidoki – 時々 (ときどき) : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘sometimes’ in Japanese.
• hayaku – 早く (はやく) : one conjugation of the i-adjective, “hayai”, which means ‘early’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.

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

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “okiru” 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 “okinai”.

Okinai: the nai form of “okiru”

Below are the definition and meanings of “okinai”.

• okinai – 起きない (おきない) : the nai form of “okiru”, which means ‘not to get up’, ‘not to wake up’, ‘not to occur’, or ‘not to happen’ in Japanese.

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

• oki – 起き (おき) : one conjugation of “okiru”. 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 “okinai” is literally the nai form of “okiru” and means ‘not to get up’, ‘not to wake up’, ‘not to occur’, or ‘not to happen’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this nai form through the example sentence below.

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

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

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

Okiyou: the volitional form of “okiru”

Below are the definition and meanings of “okiyou”.

• okiyou – 起きよう (おきよう) : the volitional form of “okiru”, which expresses volition to get up or wake up.

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

• oki – 起き (おき) : one conjugation of “okiru”. This can have a smooth connection with “you”.
• you – よう : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make its volitional form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “okiyou” is literally the volitional form of “okiru” and expresses volition to get up or wake up. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• ashita – 明日 (あした) : a noun meaning ‘tomorrow’ in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle used to join two nouns. Normally, the first one can work as a modifier to describe the second. In the example, this is used to join “ashita” and “asa”. The formed phrase literally means ‘tomorrow morning’ in Japanese.
• asa – 朝 (あさ) : a noun meaning ‘morning’ in Japanese.

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

Okimasu: the masu form of “okiru”

Below are the definition and meanings of “okimasu”.

• okimasu – 起きます (おきます) : the masu form of “okiru”, which means ‘to get up’, ‘to wake up’, ‘to occur’, or ‘to happen’ politely in Japanese.

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

• oki – 起き (おき) : one conjugation of “okiru”. 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 “okimasu” is literally the masu form of “okiru” and means ‘to get up’, ‘to wake up’, ‘to occur’, or ‘to happen’ politely in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this masu form through the example sentence below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• tamani – たまに : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘occasionally’ in Japanese.
• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• 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 “watashi” to make the subject in the sentence with adding the meaning of ‘too’.

This is a typical usage of “okimasu”. 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 “get up”, “wake up”, “occur”, or “happen” politely in Japanese, this form is a good option.

Okita: the ta form of “okiru”

Below are the definition and meanings of “okita”.

• okita – 起きた (おきた) : the ta form of “okiru”, which means ‘got up’, ‘woke up’, ‘occurred’, or ‘happened’ in Japanese.

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

• oki – 起き (おき) : one conjugation of “okiru”. 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 “okita” is literally the ta form of “okiru” and means ‘got up’, ‘woke up’, ‘occurred’, or ‘happened’ in Japanese. Let me explain how to use it through the example sentence below.

Example #5: how to say “happened” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kyou – 今日 (きょう) : a noun meaning ‘today’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb almost anywhere in a sentence. In the example, this works as an adverb at the beginning of the sentence to say “today” in Japanese.
• kaisha – 会社 (かいしゃ) : a noun meaning ‘company’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• de – で : a case particle used to say where something happens. In the example, this is used after “kaisha” to say where the problem happened.
• mondai – 問題 (もんだい) : a noun meaning ‘problem’ 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 “mondai” to make the subject in the sentence.

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

Okite: the te form of “okiru”

Below are the definition and meanings of “okite”.

• okite – 起きて (おきて) : the te form of “okiru”, which means ‘to get up’, ‘to wake up’, ‘to occur’, or ‘to happen’ in Japanese.

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

• oki – 起き (おき) : one conjugation of “okiru”. 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 “okite” is literally the te form of “okiru”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “okite” is very useful when we want to use “okiru” 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 “get up and” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• karera – 彼等 (かれら) : a pronoun meaning ‘they’ in Japanese.
• itsumo – いつも : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘always’ in Japanese.
• dekakeru – 出かける (でかける) : a verb meaning ‘to go out’ in Japanese.

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

Okireba: the ba form of “okiru”

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

• okireba – 起きれば (おきれば) : the ba form of “okiru”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to get up’, ‘to wake up’, ‘to occur’, or ‘to happen’ in Japanese.

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

• okire – 起きれ (おきれ) : one conjugation of “okiru”. 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 “okireba” is literally the ba form of “okiru”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “okireba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to get up’, ‘to wake up’, ‘to occur’, or ‘to happen’ in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• ii – 良い (いい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘good’ or such in Japanese.
• keshiki – 景色 (けしき) : a noun meaning ‘view’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• mi – 見 (み) : one conjugation of the verb, “miru“, which means ‘to see’ or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• rareru – られる : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make its potential form. In the example, this is used after “mi” to make its potential form, “mi rareru”, which means ‘can see’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “okireba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “hayaku okireba”, which means ‘if you get up early’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to get up’, this ba form is a good option.

Summary

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

• okiru – 起きる (おきる) : a verb meaning ‘to get up’, ‘to wake up’, ‘to occur’, or ‘to happen’ in Japanese.
• okinai – 起きない (おきない) : the nai form of “okiru”, which means ‘not to get up’, ‘not to wake up’, ‘not to occur’, or ‘not to happen’ in Japanese.
• okiyou – 起きよう (おきよう) : the volitional form of “okiru”, which expresses volition to get up or wake up.
• okimasu – 起きます (おきます) : the masu form of “okiru”, which means ‘to get up’, ‘to wake up’, ‘to occur’, or ‘to happen’ politely in Japanese.
• okita – 起きた (おきた) : the ta form of “okiru”, which means ‘got up’, ‘woke up’, ‘occurred’, or ‘happened’ in Japanese.
• okite – 起きて (おきて) : the te form of “okiru”, which means ‘to get up’, ‘to wake up’, ‘to occur’, or ‘to happen’ in Japanese. When we want to use “okiru” in front of another verb, this te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
• okireba – 起きれば (おきれば) : the ba form of “okiru”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to get up’, ‘to wake up’, ‘to occur’, or ‘to happen’ in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.