What does “oyogu” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “oyogu” to mean ‘to swim’ 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 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 use “oyogu” more properly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
- Definition and meaning of “oyogu”
- Oyoganai: the nai form of “oyogu”
- Oyogou: the volitional form of “oyogu”
- Oyogimasu: the masu form of “oyogu”
- Oyoida: the past tense form of “oyogu”
- Oyoide: the te form of “oyogu”
- Oyogeba: the ba form of “oyogu”
- Summary
Definition and meaning of “oyogu”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “oyogu”.
- oyogu – 泳ぐ (およぐ) : a verb meaning ‘to swim’ in Japanese.
The definition and meaning are simple and clear. Then, let me explain how to use this verb through the example sentence below.
Example #1: how to say “swim” in Japanese
watashi wa mainichi gakkou de oyogu – 私は毎日学校で泳ぐ (わたしはまいにちがっこうでおよぐ)
I swim every day at school.
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.
- mainichi – 毎日 (まいにち) : a noun meaning ‘every day’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb almost anywhere in a sentence. In the example, this works as an adverb in the middle of the sentence to say “every day” in Japanese.
- gakkou – 学校 (がっこう) : a noun meaning ‘school’ 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 “gakkou” to say where the speaker swims every day.
This is a typical usage of “oyogu”. When we want to mean ‘to swim’ in Japanese, this verb is always a very good option.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “oyogu” 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 “oyoganai”.
Oyoganai: the nai form of “oyogu”
Below are the definition and meaning of “oyoganai”.
- oyoganai – 泳がない (およがない) : the nai form of “oyogu”, which means ‘not to swim’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “oyoganai” consists of the following two parts:
- oyoga – 泳が (およが) : one conjugation of “oyogu”. 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 “oyoganai” is literally the nai form of “oyogu” and means ‘not to swim’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to say “not swim” in Japanese
kanojo wa umi de oyoganai – 彼女は海で泳がない (かのじょはうみでおよがない)
She doesn’t swim in the sea.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
- umi – 海 (うみ) : a noun meaning ‘sea’ or ‘ocean’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “oyoganai”. When we want to mean ‘not to swim’ in Japanese, this nai form is a very good option.
Oyogou: the volitional form of “oyogu”
Below are the definition and meaning of “oyogou”.
- oyogou – 泳ごう (およごう) : the volitional form of “oyogu”, which expresses volition to swim.
Grammatically, “oyogou” consists of the following two parts:
- oyogo – 泳ご (およご) : one conjugation of “oyogu”. 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 “oyogou” is literally the volitional form of “oyogu” and expresses volition to swim in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #3: how to say “let’s swim” in Japanese
issho ni oyogou – 一緒に泳ごう (いっしょにおよごう)
Let’s swim 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.
This is a typical usage of “oyogou”. In this example, it works to make the suggestion. When we want to say “let’s swim” in Japanese, this volitional form is a good option.
Oyogimasu: the masu form of “oyogu”
Below are the definition and meaning of “oyogimasu”.
- oyogimasu – 泳ぎます (およぎます) : the masu form of “oyogu”, which means ‘to swim’ politely in Japanese.
Grammatically, “oyogimasu” consists of the following two parts:
- oyogi – 泳ぎ (およぎ) : one conjugation of “oyogu”. 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 “oyogimasu” is literally the masu form of “oyogu” and means ‘to swim’ politely in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #4: how to say “swim” politely in Japanese
boku tachi wa tokidoki kawa de oyogimasu – 僕達は時々川で泳ぎます (ぼくたちはときどきかわでおよぎます)
We sometimes swim in a river.
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.
- tokidoki – 時々 (ときどき) : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘sometimes’ in Japanese.
- kawa – 川 (かわ) : a noun meaning ‘river’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
This is a typical usage of “oyogimasu”. 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 “swim” politely in Japanese, this form is a very good option.
Oyoida: the past tense form of “oyogu”
Below are the definition and meanings of “oyoida”.
- oyoida – 泳いだ (およいだ) : the past tense form of “oyogu”, which means ‘swam’, ‘have swum’, or such in Japanese.
Grammatically, “oyoida” consists of the following two parts:
- oyoi – 泳い (およい) : one conjugation of “oyogu”. This can have a smooth connection with “da”.
- da – だ : the voiced version of “ta” which is an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “oyoida” is literally the past tense form of “oyogu” and means ‘swam’, ‘have swum’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #5: how to say “swam” in Japanese
watashi mo kyou gakkou de oyoida – 私も今日学校で泳いだ (わたしもきょうがっこうでおよいだ)
I swam at school today, too.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- 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 “watashi” to make the subject in the sentence with adding the meaning of ‘too’.
- 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 in the middle of the sentence to say “today” in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “oyoida”. When we want to use the past tense form of “oyogu”, this form is the best option.
Oyoide: the te form of “oyogu”
Below are the definition and meaning of “oyoide”.
- oyoide – 泳いで (およいで) : the te form of “oyogu”, which means ‘to swim’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “oyoide” consists of the following two parts:
- oyoi – 泳い (およい) : one conjugation of “oyogu”. This can have a smooth connection with “de”.
- de – で : the voiced version of “te” which is a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “oyoide” is literally the te form of “oyogu”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “oyoide” is very useful when we want to use “oyogu” 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 “swim and” in Japanese
kanojo wa mainichi oyoide hashiru – 彼女は毎日泳いで走る (かのじょはまいにちおよいではしる)
She swims and runs every day.
Below is the new word used in the example sentence.
- hashiru – 走る (はしる) : a verb meaning ‘to run’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “oyoide”. In the example, it has the smooth connection with “hashiru”. When we want to use “oyogu” in front of another verb like this, its te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
Oyogeba: the ba form of “oyogu”
Lastly, let me explain the definition and meaning of “oyogeba”.
- oyogeba – 泳げば (およげば) : the ba form of “oyogu”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to swim’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “oyogeba” consists of the following two parts:
- oyoge – 泳げ (およげ) : one conjugation of “oyogu”. 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 “oyogeba” is literally the ba form of “oyogu”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “oyogeba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to swim’. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #7: how to say “if swim” in Japanese
mainichi oyogeba, yaseru yo – 毎日泳げば、痩せるよ (まいにちおよげば、やせるよ)
If you swim every day, you will lose weight.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- yaseru – 痩せる (やせる) : a verb meaning ‘to lose weight’ or such 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 “oyogeba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “mainichi oyogeba”, which means ‘if you swim every day’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to swim’ in Japanese, this ba form is a good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “oyogu” together with its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- oyogu – 泳ぐ (およぐ) : a verb meaning ‘to swim’ in Japanese.
- oyoganai – 泳がない (およがない) : the nai form of “oyogu”, which means ‘not to swim’ in Japanese.
- oyogou – 泳ごう (およごう) : the volitional form of “oyogu”, which expresses volition to swim.
- oyogimasu – 泳ぎます (およぎます) : the masu form of “oyogu”, which means ‘to swim’ politely in Japanese.
- oyoida – 泳いだ (およいだ) : the past tense form of “oyogu”, which means ‘swam’, ‘have swum’, or such in Japanese.
- oyoide – 泳いで (およいで) : the te form of “oyogu”, which means ‘to swim’ in Japanese. When we want to use “oyogu” in front of another verb, this te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
- oyogeba – 泳げば (およげば) : the ba form of “oyogu”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to swim’ in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.