What does “suteru” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “suteru” to mean ‘to throw away’ or ‘to discard’ 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 to use “suteru” more properly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
- Definition and meanings of “suteru”
- Sutenai: the nai form of “suteru”
- Suteyou: the volitional form of “suteru”
- Sutemasu: the masu form of “suteru”
- Suteta: the ta form of “suteru”
- Sutete: the te form of “suteru”
- Sutereba: the ba form of “suteru”
- Summary
Definition and meanings of “suteru”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “suteru”.
- suteru – 捨てる/棄てる (すてる) : a verb meaning ‘to throw away’ or ‘to discard’ in Japanese.
“Suteru” has two different kanji expressions. The first one is more widely used and the second one is less. So, basically we can focus on the first one.
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 “throw away” in Japanese
boku wa gomi wo suteru – 僕はゴミを捨てる (ぼくはごみをすてる)
I throw away garbage.
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.
- gomi – ゴミ (ごみ) : a noun meaning ‘garbage’ or such in Japanese.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “gomi” to make the object in the sentence.
This is a typical usage of “suteru”. In the example, it works together with the case particle, “wo”, to have the object. When we want to mean ‘to throw away’ in Japanese, this verb is a good option.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “suteru” 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 “sutenai”.
Sutenai: the nai form of “suteru”
Below are the definition and meanings of “sutenai”.
- sutenai – 捨てない/棄てない (すてない) : the nai form of “suteru”, which means ‘not to throw away’ or ‘not to discard’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “sutenai” consists of the following two parts:
- sute – 捨て/棄て (すて) : one conjugation of “suteru”. 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 “sutenai” is literally the nai form of “suteru” and means ‘not to throw away’ or ‘not to discard’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this nai form through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to say “doesn’t throw away” in Japanese
watashi no musume wa fuku wo sutenai – 私の娘は服を捨てない (わたしのむすめはふくをすてない)
My daughter doesn’t throw away her clothes.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “watashi” to make its possessive case, “watashi no“, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.
- musume – 娘 (むすめ) : a noun meaning ‘daughter’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
- fuku – 服 (ふく) : a noun meaning ‘cloth’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
This is a typical usage of “sutenai”. When we want to mean ‘not to throw away’ in Japanese, this nai form is a good option.
Suteyou: the volitional form of “suteru”
Below are the definition and meanings of “suteyou”.
- suteyou – 捨てよう/棄てよう (すてよう) : the volitional form of “suteru”, which expresses volition to throw away or discard.
Grammatically, “suteyou” consists of the following two parts:
- sute – 捨て/棄て (すて) : one conjugation of “suteru”. 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 “suteyou” is literally the volitional form of “suteru” and expresses volition to throw away or discard. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #3: how to say “let’s throw away” in Japanese
zenbu suteyou – 全部捨てよう (ぜんぶすてよう)
Let’s throw away everything!
Below is the new word used in the example sentence.
- zenbu – 全部 (ぜんぶ) : a noun meaning ‘everything’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “suteyou”. In this example, it works to make the suggestion. When we want to say “let’s throw away” in Japanese, this volitional form is a good option.
Sutemasu: the masu form of “suteru”
Below are the definition and meanings of “sutemasu”.
- sutemasu – 捨てます/棄てます (すてます) : the masu form of “suteru”, which means ‘to throw away’ or ‘to discard’ politely in Japanese.
Grammatically, “sutemasu” consists of the following two parts:
- sute – 捨て/棄て (すて) : one conjugation of “suteru”. 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 “sutemasu” is literally the masu form of “suteru” and means ‘to throw away’ or ‘to discard’ politely in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #4: how to say “throw away” politely in Japanese
kanojo wa furui tegami wo sutemasu – 彼女は古い手紙を捨てます (かのじょはふるいてがみをすてます)
She throws away old letters.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
- furui – 古い (ふるい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘old’ in Japanese.
- tegami – 手紙 (てがみ) : a noun meaning ‘letter’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
This is a typical usage of “sutemasu”. 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 “throw away” or “discard” politely in Japanese, this form is a good option.
Suteta: the ta form of “suteru”
Below are the definition and meanings of “suteta”.
- suteta – 捨てた/棄てた (すてた) : the ta form of “suteru”, which means ‘threw away’ or ‘discarded’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “suteta” consists of the following two parts:
- sute – 捨て/棄て (すて) : one conjugation of “suteru”. 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 “suteta” is literally the ta form of “suteru” and means ‘threw away’ or ‘discarded’ in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #5: how to say “threw away” in Japanese
kare wa jinsei wo suteta – 彼は人生を捨てた (かれはじんせいをすてた)
He threw away his life.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
- jinsei – 人生 (じんせい) : a noun meaning ‘life’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
This is a typical usage of “suteta”. When we want to use the past tense form of “suteru”, this ta form is a good option.
Sutete: the te form of “suteru”
Below are the definition and meanings of “sutete”.
- sutete – 捨てて/棄てて (すてて) : the te form of “suteru”, which means ‘to throw away’ or ‘to discard’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “sutete” consists of the following two parts:
- sute – 捨て/棄て (すて) : one conjugation of “suteru”. 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 “sutete” is literally the te form of “suteru”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make a chronological order in a sentence. So, “sutete” is very useful when we want to implement the order into a sentence. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #6: how to say “throw away and then” in Japanese
kare wa jinsei wo sutete atarashii sekai ni iku – 彼は人生を捨てて新しい世界に行く (かれはじんせいをすててあたらしいせかいにいく)
He throws away his life and then goes to the new world.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- atarashii – 新しい (あたらしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘new’ in Japanese.
- sekai – 世界 (せかい) : a noun meaning ‘world’ in Japanese.
- ni – に : a case particle used to say where someone or something goes. In the example, this is used after “atarashii sekai” to say where “kare” goes.
- iku – 行く (いく) : a verb meaning ‘to go’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “sutete”. When we want to make a chronological order in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to throw away’, this te form is a good option.
Sutereba: the ba form of “suteru”
Lastly, let me explain the definition and meanings of “sutereba”.
- sutereba – 捨てれば/棄てれば (すてれば) : the ba form of “suteru”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to throw away’ or ‘to discard’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “sutereba” consists of the following two parts:
- sutere – 捨てれ/棄てれ (すてれ) : one conjugation of “suteru”. 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 “sutereba” is literally the ba form of “suteru”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “sutereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to throw away’ or ‘to discard’ in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #7: how to say “if throw away” in Japanese
zenbu sutereba, heya ga kirei ni naru – 全部捨てれば、部屋が綺麗になる (ぜんぶすてれば、へやがきれいになる)
If you throw away everything, your room will be clean.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- heya – 部屋 (へや) : a noun meaning ‘room’ 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 “heya” to make the subject in the second clause.
- kirei – 綺麗 (きれい) : the stem part of the na-adjective, “kireina“, which means ‘beautiful’ in Japanese. This stem part can mean ‘being beautiful’ or such 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 “kirei” to say what state the room is in after the action.
- naru – なる : a verb meaning ‘to become’, ‘to turn’, ‘to get’, or just ‘to be’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “sutereba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “zenbu sutereba”, which means ‘if you throw away everything’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to throw away’ or ‘to discard’, this ba form is a good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “suteru” together with its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- suteru – 捨てる/棄てる (すてる) : a verb meaning ‘to throw away’ or ‘to discard’ in Japanese.
- sutenai – 捨てない/棄てない (すてない) : the nai form of “suteru”, which means ‘not to throw away’ or ‘not to discard’ in Japanese.
- suteyou – 捨てよう/棄てよう (すてよう) : the volitional form of “suteru”, which expresses volition to throw away or discard.
- sutemasu – 捨てます/棄てます (すてます) : the masu form of “suteru”, which means ‘to throw away’ or ‘to discard’ politely in Japanese.
- suteta – 捨てた/棄てた (すてた) : the ta form of “suteru”, which means ‘threw away’ or ‘discarded’ in Japanese.
- sutete – 捨てて/棄てて (すてて) : the te form of “suteru”, which means ‘to throw away’ or ‘to discard’ in Japanese. When we want to make a chronological order in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to throw away’, this te form is a good option.
- sutereba – 捨てれば/棄てれば (すてれば) : the ba form of “suteru”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to throw away’ or ‘to discard’ in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
