What does “sagasu” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “sagasu” to mean ‘to search for’ or ‘to look for’ in Japanese. Perhaps, 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 “sagasu” more properly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
- Definition and meanings of “sagasu”
- Sagasanai: the nai form of “sagasu”
- Sagasou: the volitional form of “sagasu”
- Sagashimasu: the masu form of “sagasu”
- Sagashita: the ta form of “sagasu”
- Sagashite: the te form of “sagasu”
- Sagaseba: the ba form of “sagasu”
- Summary
Definition and meanings of “sagasu”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “sagasu”.
- sagasu – 探す (さがす) : a verb meaning ‘to search for’ or ‘to look for’ in Japanese.
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 “search for” in Japanese
boku tashi wa ai wo sagasu – 僕達は愛を探す (ぼくたちはあいをさがす)
We search for love.
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. Learn more about Japanese plural.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “boku tachi” to make the subject in the sentence.
- ai – 愛 (あい) : a noun meaning ‘love’ in Japanese.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “ai” to make the object in the sentence.
This is a typical usage of “sagasu”. In the example, it works together with the case particle, “wo”, to have the object. When we want to mean ‘to search for’ in Japanese, this verb is a very good option.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “sagasu” 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 “sagasanai”.
Sagasanai: the nai form of “sagasu”
Below are the definition and meanings of “sagasanai”.
- sagasanai – 探さない (さがさない) : the nai form of “sagasu”, which means ‘not to search for’ or ‘not to look for’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “sagasanai” consists of the following two parts:
- sagasa – 探さ (さがさ) : one conjugation of “sagasu”. 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 “sagasanai” is literally the nai form of “sagasu” and means ‘not to search for’ or ‘not to look for’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this nai form through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to say “don’t search for” in Japanese
boku tachi wa jinsei no imi wo sagasanai – 僕達は人生の意味を探さない (ぼくたちはじんせいのいみをさがさない)
We don’t search for the meaning of life.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- jinsei – 人生 (じんせい) : a noun meaning ‘life’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- 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 “jinsei” and “imi”. The formed phrase literally means ‘meaning of life’ in Japanese. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this case particle is similar to that of the English preposition, “of”.
- imi – 意味 (いみ) : a noun meaning ‘meaning’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
This is a typical usage of “sagasanai”. When we want to mean ‘not to search for’ or ‘not to look for’ in Japanese, this nai form is a good option.
Sagasou: the volitional form of “sagasu”
Below are the definition and meanings of “sagasou”.
- sagasou – 探そう (さがそう) : the volitional form of “sagasu”, which expresses volition to search for or look for.
Grammatically, “sagasou” consists of the following two parts:
- sagaso – 探そ (さがそ) : one conjugation of “sagasu”. 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 “sagasou” is literally the volitional form of “sagasu” and expresses volition to search for or look for. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #3: how to say “let’s search for” in Japanese
shiawase wo sagasou – 幸せを探そう (しあわせをさがそう)
Let’s search for happiness!
Below is the new word used in the example sentence.
- shiawase – 幸せ (しあわせ) : a noun meaning ‘happiness’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “sagasou”. In this example, it works to make the suggestion. When we want to say “let’s search for” in Japanese, this volitional form is a good option.
Sagashimasu: the masu form of “sagasu”
Below are the definition and meanings of “sagashimasu”.
- sagashimasu – 探します (さがします) : the masu form of “sagasu”, which means ‘to search for’ or ‘to look for’ politely in Japanese.
Grammatically, “sagashimasu” consists of the following two parts:
- sagashi – 探し (さがし) : one conjugation of “sagasu”. 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 “sagashimasu” is literally the masu form of “sagasu” and means ‘to search for’ or ‘to look for’ politely in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #4: how to say “search for” politely in Japanese
gakusei tachi wa shigoto wo sagashimasu – 学生達は仕事を探します (がくせいたちはしごとをさがします)
Students search for jobs.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- gakusei – 学生 (がくせい) : a noun meaning ‘student’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- shigoto – 仕事 (しごと) : a noun meaning ‘job’ or ‘work’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
This is a typical usage of “sagashimasu”. 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 “search for” or “look for” politely in Japanese, this form is a good option.
Sagashita: the ta form of “sagasu”
Below are the definition and meanings of “sagashita”.
- sagashita – 探した (さがした) : the ta form of “sagasu”, which means ‘searched for’ or ‘looked for’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “sagashita” consists of the following two parts:
- sagashi – 探し (さがし) : one conjugation of “sagasu”. 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 “sagashita” is literally the ta form of “sagasu” and means ‘searched for’ or ‘looked for’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #5: how to say “searched for” in Japanese
karera wa tengoku wo sagashita – 彼等は天国を探した (かれらはてんごくをさがした)
They searched for heaven.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- karera – 彼等 (かれら) : a pronoun meaning ‘they’ in Japanese.
- tengoku – 天国 (てんごく) : a noun meaning ‘heaven’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “sagashita”. When we want to use the past tense form of “sagasu”, this ta form is the best option.
Sagashite: the te form of “sagasu”
Below are the definition and meanings of “sagashite”.
- sagashite – 探して (さがして) : the te form of “sagasu”, which means ‘to search for’ or ‘to look for’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “sagashite” consists of the following two parts:
- sagashi – 探し (さがし) : one conjugation of “sagasu”. 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 “sagashite” is literally the te form of “sagasu”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “sagashite” is very useful when we want to use “sagasu” 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 “search for and” in Japanese
boku wa tokidoki burogu no wadai wo sagashite erabu – 僕は時々ブログの話題を探して選ぶ (ぼくはときどきぶろぐのわだいをさがしてえらぶ)
I sometimes search for blog topics and pick some.
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.
- burogu – ブログ (ぶろぐ) : a noun meaning ‘blog’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- wadai – 話題 (わだい) : a noun meaning ‘topic’ or such in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- erabu – 選ぶ (えらぶ) : a verb meaning ‘to pick’, ‘to choose’, or ‘to select’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “sagashite”. In this example, it has the smooth connection with “erabu”. When we want to use “sagasu” in front of another verb like this, its te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
Sagaseba: the ba form of “sagasu”
Lastly, let me explain the definition and meanings of “sagaseba”.
- sagaseba – 探せば (さがせば) : the ba form of “sagasu”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to search for’ or ‘to look for’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “sagaseba” consists of the following two parts:
- sagase – 探せ (さがせ) : one conjugation of “sagasu”. 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 “sagaseba” is literally the ba form of “sagasu”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “sagaseba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to search for’ or ‘to look for’ in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #7: how to say “if search for” in Japanese
shiawase wo sagaseba, itsuka mitsukaru yo – 幸せを探せば、いつか見つかるよ (しあわせをさがせば、いつかみつかるよ)
If you search for happiness, you’ll find it someday.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- itsuka – いつか : an adverb meaning ‘someday’ in Japanese.
- mitsukaru – 見つかる (みつかる) : a verb meaning ‘to be able to find’ or just ‘to find’ 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 “sagaseba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “shiawase wo sagaseba”, which means ‘if you search for happiness’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to search for’ or ‘to look for’, this ba form is a good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “sagasu” together with its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- sagasu – 探す (さがす) : a verb meaning ‘to search for’ or ‘to look for’ in Japanese.
- sagasanai – 探さない (さがさない) : the nai form of “sagasu”, which means ‘not to search for’ or ‘not to look for’ in Japanese.
- sagasou – 探そう (さがそう) : the volitional form of “sagasu”, which expresses volition to search for or look for.
- sagashimasu – 探します (さがします) : the masu form of “sagasu”, which means ‘to search for’ or ‘to look for’ politely in Japanese.
- sagashita – 探した (さがした) : the ta form of “sagasu”, which means ‘searched for’ or ‘looked for’ in Japanese.
- sagashite – 探して (さがして) : the te form of “sagasu”, which means ‘to search for’ or ‘to look for’ in Japanese. When we want to use “sagasu” in front of another verb, this te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
- sagaseba – 探せば (さがせば) : the ba form of “sagasu”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to search for’ or ‘to look for’ in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.