What does “tobu” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “tobu” often to mean ‘to fly’ 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 use “tobu” more properly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
- Definition and meanings of “tobu”
- Tobanai: the nai form of “tobu”
- Tobou: the volitional form of “tobu”
- Tobimasu: the masu form of “tobu”
- Tonda: the past tense form of “tobu”
- Tonde: the te form of “tobu”
- Tobeba: the ba form of “tobu”
- Summary
Definition and meanings of “tobu”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “tobu”.
- tobu – 飛ぶ/翔ぶ/跳ぶ (とぶ) : a verb meaning ‘to fly’ or ‘to jump’ in Japanese.
“Tobu” has three different kanji expressions. The first two are used to mean ‘to fly’ and the last one is used to mean ‘to jump’.
The definition and meanings are not that difficult. The meanings seem to be based on similar concepts. Then, let me explain how to use this verb through the example sentence below.
Example #1: how to say “fly” in Japanese
tori wa yoku tobu – 鳥はよく飛ぶ (とりはよくとぶ)
Birds often fly.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- tori – 鳥 (とり) : a noun meaning ‘bird’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “tori” to make the subject in the sentence.
- yoku – よく : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘often’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “tobu”. When we want to mean ‘to fly’ in Japanese, this verb is a very good option.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “tobu” 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 “tobanai”.
Tobanai: the nai form of “tobu”
Below are the definition and meanings of “tobanai”.
- tobanai – 飛ばない/翔ばない/跳ばない (とばない) : the nai form of “tobu”, which means ‘not to fly’ or ‘not to jump’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “tobanai” consists of the following two parts:
- toba – 飛ば/翔ば/跳ば (とば) : one conjugation of “tobu”. 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 “tobanai” is literally the nai form of “tobu” and means ‘not to fly’ or ‘not to jump’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to say “not fly” in Japanese
kuruma wa tobanai – 車は飛ばない (くるまはとばない)
Cars don’t fly.
Below is the new word used in the example sentence.
- kuruma – 車 (くるま) : a noun meaning ‘car’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
This is a typical usage of “tobanai”. When we want to mean ‘not to fly’ in Japanese, this nai form is a very good option.
Tobou: the volitional form of “tobu”
Below are the definition and meanings of “tobou”.
- tobou – 飛ぼう/翔ぼう/跳ぼう (とぼう) : the volitional form of “tobu”, which expresses volition to fly or jump in Japanese.
Grammatically, “tobou” consists of the following two parts:
- tobo – 飛ぼ/翔ぼ/跳ぼ (とぼ) : one conjugation of “tobu”. 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 “tobou” is literally the volitional form of “tobu” and expresses volition to fly or jump in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #3: how to say “let’s jump” in Japanese
issho ni tobou – 一緒に跳ぼう (いっしょにとぼう)
Let’s jump 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 “tobou”. In this example, it works to make the suggestion. When we want to say “let’s jump” in Japanese, this volitional form is a good option.
Tobimasu: the masu form of “tobu”
Below are the definition and meanings of “tobimasu”.
- tobimasu – 飛びます/翔びます/跳びます (とびます) : the masu form of “tobu”, which means ‘to fly’ or ‘to jump’ politely in Japanese.
Grammatically, “tobimasu” consists of the following two parts:
- tobi – 飛び/翔び/跳び (とび) : one conjugation of “tobu”. 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 “tobimasu” is literally the masu form of “tobu” and means ‘to fly’ or ‘to jump’ politely in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #4: how to say “fly” politely in Japanese
hikouki wa hayaku tobimasu – 飛行機は速く飛びます (ひこうきははやくとびます)
Airplanes fly fast.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- hikouki – 飛行機 (ひこうき) : a noun meaning ‘airplane’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- hayaku – 速く (はやく) : one conjugation of the i-adjective, “hayai“, which means ‘fast’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
This is a typical usage of “tobimasu”. 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 “fly” politely in Japanese, this form is a very good option.
Tonda: the past tense form of “tobu”
Below are the definition and meanings of “tonda”.
- tonda – 飛んだ/翔んだ/跳んだ (とんだ) : the past tense form of “tobu”, which means ‘flew’, ‘jumped’, or such in Japanese.
Grammatically, “tonda” consists of the following two parts:
- ton – 飛ん/翔ん/跳ん (とん) : one conjugation of “tobu”. 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 “tonda” is literally the past tense form of “tobu” and means ‘flew’, ‘jumped’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #5: how to say “flew” in Japanese
karasu ga tonda – 烏が飛んだ (からすがとんだ)
The crow flew.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- karasu – 烏 (からす) : a noun meaning ‘crow’ 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 “karasu” to make the subject in the sentence.
This is a typical usage of “tonda”. When we want to use the past tense form of “tobu”, this form is the best option.
Tonde: the te form of “tobu”
Below are the definition and meanings of “tonde”.
- tonde – 飛んで/翔んで/跳んで (とんで) : the te form of “tobu”, which means ‘to fly’ or ‘to jump’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “tonde” consists of the following two parts:
- ton – 飛ん/翔ん/跳ん (とん) : one conjugation of “tobu”. 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 “tonde” is literally the te form of “tobu”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “tonde” is very useful when we want to use “tobu” in front of another verb, an adjective, or an auxliliary verb. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #6: how to say “fly and” in Japanese
chou ga tonde kieru – 蝶が飛んで消える (ちょうがとんできえる)
Butterflies fly and disappear.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- chou – 蝶 (ちょう) : a noun meaning ‘butterfly’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- kieru – 消える (きえる) : a verb meaning ‘to disappear’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “tonde”. In the example, it has the smooth connection with “kieru”. When we want to use “tobu” in front of another verb like this, its te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
Tobeba: the ba form of “tobu”
Lastly, let me explain the definition and meanings of “tobeba”.
- tobeba – 飛べば/翔べば/跳べば (とべば) : the ba form of “tobu”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to fly’ or ‘to jump’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “tobeba” consists of the following two parts:
- tobe – 飛べ/翔べ/跳べ (とべ) : one conjugation of “tobu”. 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 “tobeba” is literally the ba form of “tobu”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “tobeba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to fly’ or ‘to jump’ in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #7: how to say “if jump” in Japanese
kimi ga tobeba, boku mo tobu yo – 君が跳べば、僕も跳ぶよ (きみがとべば、ぼくもとぶよ)
If you jump, I will jump too.
Below are the new words used the example sentence.
- kimi – 君 (きみ) : a pronoun meaning ‘you’ in Japanese.
- boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
- 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 “boku” to make the subject in the second clause.
- yo – よ : a sentence-ending particle used to state the fact or idea softly. As the definition suggests, this is used at the end of the second clause to state the speaker’s idea softly.
This is a typical usage of “tobeba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “kimi ga tobeba”, which means ‘if you jump’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to fly’ or ‘to jump’ in Japanese, this ba form is a good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “tobu” together with its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- tobu – 飛ぶ/翔ぶ/跳ぶ (とぶ) : a verb meaning ‘to fly’ or ‘to jump’ in Japanese.
- tobanai – 飛ばない/翔ばない/跳ばない (とばない) : the nai form of “tobu”, which means ‘not to fly’ or ‘not to jump’ in Japanese.
- tobou – 飛ぼう/翔ぼう/跳ぼう (とぼう) : the volitional form of “tobu”, which expresses volition to fly or jump in Japanese.
- tobimasu – 飛びます/翔びます/跳びます (とびます) : the masu form of “tobu”, which means ‘to fly’ or ‘to jump’ politely in Japanese.
- tonda – 飛んだ/翔んだ/跳んだ (とんだ) : the past tense form of “tobu”, which means ‘flew’, ‘jumped’, or such in Japanese.
- tonde – 飛んで/翔んで/跳んで (とんで) : the te form of “tobu”, which means ‘to fly’ or ‘to jump’ in Japanese. When we want to use “tobu” in front of another verb, this te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
- tobeba – 飛べば/翔べば/跳べば (とべば) : the ba form of “tobu”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to fly’ or ‘to jump’ in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
