What does “uyamau” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “uyamau” to mean ‘to respect’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this verb as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, 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 “uyamau” more properly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
- Definition and meaning of “uyamau”
- Uyamawanai: the nai form of “uyamau”
- Uyamaou: the volitional form of “uyamau”
- Uyamaimasu: the masu form of “uyamau”
- Uyamatta: the ta form of “uyamau”
- Uyamatte: the te form of “uyamau”
- Uyamaeba: the ba form of “uyamau”
- Summary
Definition and meaning of “uyamau”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “uyamau”.
- uyamau – 敬う (うやまう) : a verb meaning ‘to respect’ 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 “respect” in Japanese
boku wa toshiyori wo uyamau – 僕は年寄りを敬う (ぼくはとしよりをうやまう)
I respect older people.
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.
- toshiyori – 年寄り (としより) : a noun meaning ‘older people’ in Japanese. This can also work as singular. Learn more about Japanese singular and plural.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “toshiyori” to make the object in the sentence.
This is a typical usage of “uyamau”. In the example, it works together with the case particle, “wo”, to have the object. When we want to mean ‘to respect’ in Japanese, anyway, this verb is a good option.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “uyamau” 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 “uyamawanai”.
Uyamawanai: the nai form of “uyamau”
Below are the definition and meaning of “uyamawanai”.
- uyamawanai – 敬わない (うやまわない) : the nai form of “uyamau”, which means ‘not to respect’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “uyamawanai” consists of the following two parts:
- uyamawa – 敬わ (うやまわ) : one conjugation of “uyamau”. 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 “uyamawanai” is literally the nai form of “uyamau” and means ‘not to respect’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to say “not respect” in Japanese
kanojo wa toshiyori wo zenzen uyamawanai – 彼女は年寄りを全然敬わない (かのじょはとしよりをぜんぜんうやまわない)
She doesn’t respect older people at all.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
- zenzen – 全然 (ぜんぜん) : an adverb working in a negative sentence to mean ‘at all’ or such in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “uyamawanai”. When we want to mean ‘not to respect’ in Japanese, this nai form is a good option.
Uyamaou: the volitional form of “uyamau”
Below are the definition and meaning of “uyamaou”.
- uyamaou – 敬おう (うやまおう) : the volitional form of “uyamau”, which expresses volition to respect.
Grammatically, “uyamaou” consists of the following two parts:
- uyamao – 敬お (うやまお) : one conjugation of “uyamau”. 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 “uyamaou” is literally the volitional form of “uyamau” and expresses volition to respect in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #3: how to say “let’s respect” in Japanese
otagai wo uyamaou – お互いを敬おう (おたがいをうやまおう)
Let’s respect each other!
Below is the new word used in the example sentence.
- otagai – お互い (おたがい) : a noun meaning ‘each other’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “uyamaou”. In this example, it works to make the suggestion. When we want to say “let’s respect” in Japanese, this volitional form is a good option.
Uyamaimasu: the masu form of “uyamau”
Below are the definition and meaning of “uyamaimasu”.
- uyamaimasu – 敬います (うやまいます) : the masu form of “uyamau”, which means ‘to respect’ politely in Japanese.
Grammatically, “uyamaimasu” consists of the following two parts:
- uyamai – 敬い (うやまい) : one conjugation of “uyamau”. 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 “uyamaimasu” is literally the masu form of “uyamau” and means ‘to respect’ politely in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #4: how to say “respect” politely in Japanese
seito wa sensei wo uyamaimasu – 生徒は先生を敬います (せいとはせんせいをうやまいます)
Students respect teachers.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- seito – 生徒 (せいと) : a noun meaning ‘student’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- sensei – 先生 (せんせい) : a noun meaning ‘teacher’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
This is a typical usage of “uyamaimasu”. 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 “respect” politely in Japanese, this form is a good option.
Uyamatta: the ta form of “uyamau”
Below are the definition and meanings of “uyamatta”.
- uyamatta – 敬った (うやまった) : the ta form of “uyamau”, which means ‘respected’, ‘have respected’, or such in Japanese.
Grammatically, “uyamatta” consists of the following two parts:
- uyamat – 敬っ (うやまっ) : one conjugation of “uyamau”. 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.
From these two parts, we can understand that “uyamatta” is literally the past tense form of “uyamau” and means ‘respected’, ‘have respected’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #5: how to say “respected” in Japanese
kanojo mo mukashi wa toshiyori wo uyamatta – 彼女も昔は年寄りを敬った (かのじょもむかしはとしよりをうやまった)
She respected older people before, 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 “kanojo” to make the subject in the sentence with adding the meaning of ‘too’.
- mukashi – 昔 (むかし) : a noun meaning ‘past’ in Japanese. In the example, this works together with the binding particle, “wa”, to make the adverb phrase which means ‘before’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “uyamatta”. When we want to use the past tense form of “uyamau”, this form is the best option.
Uyamatte: the te form of “uyamau”
Below are the definition and meaning of “uyamatte”.
- uyamatte – 敬って (うやまって) : the te form of “uyamau”, which means ‘to respect’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “uyamatte” consists of the following two parts:
- uyamat – 敬っ (うやまっ) : one conjugation of “uyamau”. 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 “uyamatte” is literally the te form of “uyamau”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “uyamatte” is very useful when we want to use “uyamau” 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 “please respect” in Japanese
toshiyori wo uyamatte kudasai – 年寄りを敬ってください (としよりをうやまってください)
Please respect older people.
Below is the new word used in the example sentence.
- kudasai – ください : one conjugation of the verb, “kudasaru”, which means ‘to give’ or such in Japanese. When this follows a verb, however, this can work like an auxiliary verb to add the meaning of ‘please’. In the example, this works like an auxiliary verb after “uyamatte” to add the meaning of ‘please’.
This is a typical usage of “uyamatte”. In the example, it has the smooth connection with “kudasai”. When we want to use “uyamau” in front of another verb like this, its te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
Uyamaeba: the ba form of “uyamau”
Lastly, let me explain the definition and meaning of “uyamaeba”.
- uyamaeba – 敬えば (うやまえば) : the ba form of “uyamau”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to respect’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “uyamaeba” consists of the following two parts:
- uyamae – 敬え (うやまえ) : one conjugation of “uyamau”. 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 “uyamaeba” is literally the ba form of “uyamau”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “uyamaeba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to respect’ in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #7: how to say “if respect” in Japanese
anata ga tanin wo uyamaeba, karera mo anata wo uyamau – あなたが他人を敬えば、彼等もあなたを敬う (あなたがたにんをうやまえば、かれらもあなたをうやまう)
If you respect others, they will respect you too.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- anata – あなた : a pronoun meaning ‘you’ in Japanese.
- 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 “anata” to make the subject in the conditional clause.
- tanin – 他人 (たにん) : a noun meaning ‘others’ in Japanese.
- karera – 彼等 (かれら) : a pronoun meaning ‘they’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “uyamaeba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “anata ga tanin wo uyamaeba”, which means ‘if you respect others’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to respect’ in Japanese, this ba form is a good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “uyamau” together with its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- uyamau – 敬う (うやまう) : a verb meaning ‘to respect’ in Japanese.
- uyamawanai – 敬わない (うやまわない) : the nai form of “uyamau”, which means ‘not to respect’ in Japanese.
- uyamaou – 敬おう (うやまおう) : the volitional form of “uyamau”, which expresses volition to respect.
- uyamaimasu – 敬います (うやまいます) : the masu form of “uyamau”, which means ‘to respect’ politely in Japanese.
- uyamatta – 敬った (うやまった) : the ta form of “uyamau”, which means ‘respected’, ‘have respected’, or such in Japanese.
- uyamatte – 敬って (うやまって) : the te form of “uyamau”, which means ‘to respect’ in Japanese. When we want to use “uyamau” in front of another verb, this te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
- uyamaeba – 敬えば (うやまえば) : the ba form of “uyamau”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to respect’ in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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