What does “wasureru” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “wasureru” to mean ‘to forget’ or ‘to leave something somewhere carelessly’ 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 “wasureru” more properly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
- Definition and meanings of “wasureru”
- Wasureru in kanji
- Wasurenai: the nai form of “wasureru”
- Wasureyou: the volitional form of “wasureru”
- Wasuremasu: the masu form of “wasureru”
- Wasureta: the ta form of “wasureru”
- Wasurete: the te form of “wasureru”
- Wasurereba: the ba form of “wasureru”
- Summary
Definition and meanings of “wasureru”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “wasureru”.
- wasureru – 忘れる (わすれる) : a verb meaning ‘to forget’ or ‘to leave something somewhere carelessly’ in Japanese.
Japanese native speakers often use this verb to mean ‘to forget’ in Japanese. It’s also worth mentioning here that they use this verb when they leave something somewhere carelessly. In Japanese, leaving something somewhere carelessly is considered as forgetting to bring it.
The definition and meanings are not that difficult, I think. To understand this verb more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji character in detail.
Wasureru in kanji
The kanji character used for “wasureru” consists of the following two parts:
- 亡 : a kanji character used to mean ‘to lose’ in Japanese.
- 心 : a kanji character used to mean ‘heart’, ‘mind’, or ‘feeling’ in Japanese.
These two parts tell us that the act of forgetting in Japanese is literally the act of losing a heart. Perhaps, memories are stored in hearts. If they are lost, the memories inside get lost, too.
When we meet new kanji characters, we should check their parts in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji parts tell us a lot about the meanings of the characters they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “wasureru” through the detailed check above.
Then, let me explain how to use “wasureru” through the example sentence below.
Example #1: how to say “forget” in Japanese
boku wa tokidoki hito no namae wo wasureru – 僕は時々人の名前を忘れる (ぼくはときどきひとのなまえをわすれる)
I sometimes forget people’s names.
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.
- tokidoki – 時々 (ときどき) : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘sometimes’ in Japanese.
- hito – 人 (ひと) : a noun meaning ‘person’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
- no – の : a case particle joining two nouns. Normally, the first one can work as a modifier to describe the second. In the example, this works to join “hito” and “namae”. The formed phrase literally means ‘people’s name’ in Japanese.
- namae – 名前 (なまえ) : a noun meaning ‘name’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- wo – を : a case particle making the object word in a sentence. In the example, this works after “hito no namae” to make the object in the sentence.
This is a typical usage of “wasureru”. In the example, it works together with the case particle, “wo”, to have the object. When we want to mean ‘to forget’ in Japanese, anyway, this verb is a good option.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “wasureru” 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 “wasurenai”.
Wasurenai: the nai form of “wasureru”
Below are the definition and meanings of “wasurenai”.
- wasurenai – 忘れない (わすれない) : the nai form of “wasureru”, which means ‘not to forget’ or ‘not to leave something somewhere carelessly’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “wasurenai” consists of the following two parts:
- wasure – 忘れ (わすれ) : one conjugation of “wasureru”. 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 “wasurenai” is literally the nai form of “wasureru” and means ‘not to forget’ or ‘not to leave something somewhere carelessly’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this nai form through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to say “don’t forget” in Japanese
watashi wa yakusoku wo wasurenai – 私は約束を忘れない (わたしはやくそくをわすれない)
I don’t forget my promises.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- yakusoku – 約束 (やくそく) : a noun meaning ‘promise’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
This is a typical usage of “wasurenai”. When we want to mean ‘not to forget’ in Japanese, this nai form is a good option.
Wasureyou: the volitional form of “wasureru”
Below are the definition and meaning of “wasureyou”.
- wasureyou – 忘れよう (わすれよう) : the volitional form of “wasureru”, which expresses volition to forget.
Grammatically, “wasureyou” consists of the following two parts:
- wasure – 忘れ (わすれ) : one conjugation of “wasureru”. 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 “wasureyou” is literally the volitional form of “wasureru” and expresses volition to forget. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #3: how to say “let’s forget” in Japanese
iyana omoide wa wasureyou – 嫌な思い出は忘れよう (いやなおもいではわすれよう)
Let’s forget bad memories!
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- iyana – 嫌な (いやな) : a na-adjective meaning ‘bad’ or such in Japanese.
- omoide – 思い出 (おもいで) : a noun meaning ‘memory’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
This is a typical usage of “wasureyou”. In this example, it works to make the suggestion. When we want to say “let’s forget” in Japanese, this volitional form is a good option.
Wasuremasu: the masu form of “wasureru”
Below are the definition and meanings of “wasuremasu”.
- wasuremasu – 忘れます (わすれます) : the masu form of “wasureru”, which means ‘to forget’ or ‘to leave something somewhere carelessly’ politely in Japanese.
Grammatically, “wasuremasu” consists of the following two parts:
- wasure – 忘れ (わすれ) : one conjugation of “wasureru”. 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 “wasuremasu” is literally the masu form of “wasureru” and means ‘to forget’ or ‘to leave something somewhere carelessly’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #4: how to say “forget” politely in Japanese
watashi wa tamani shukudai wo wasuremasu – 私はたまに宿題を忘れます (わたしはたまにしゅくだいをわすれます)
Occasionally, I forget my homework.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- tamani – たまに : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘occasionally’ in Japanese.
- shukudai – 宿題 (しゅくだい) : a noun meaning ‘homework’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “wasuremasu”. 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 “forget” politely in Japanese, this form is a good option.
Wasureta: the ta form of “wasureru”
Below are the definition and meanings of “wasureta”.
- wasureta – 忘れた (わすれた) : the ta form of “wasureru”, which means ‘forgot’ or ‘left something somewhere carelessly’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “wasureta” consists of the following two parts:
- wasure – 忘れ (わすれ) : one conjugation of “wasureru”. 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 “wasureta” is literally the ta form of “wasureru” and means ‘forgot’ or ‘left something somewhere carelessly’ in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #5: how to say “left” in Japanese
watashi wa heya no kagi wo wasureta – 私は部屋の鍵を忘れた (わたしはへやのかぎをわすれた)
I left my room key.
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.
- kagi – 鍵 (かぎ) : a noun meaning ‘key’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
This is a typical usage of “wasureta”. When we want to use the past tense form of “wasureru”, this ta form is the best option.
Wasurete: the te form of “wasureru”
Below are the definition and meanings of “wasurete”.
- wasurete – 忘れて (わすれて) : the te form of “wasureru”, which means ‘to forget’ or ‘to leave something somewhere carelessly’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “wasurete” consists of the following two parts:
- wasure – 忘れ (わすれ) : one conjugation of “wasureru”. 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 “wasurete” is literally the te form of “wasureru”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “wasurete” is very useful when we want to use “wasureru” 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 forget” in Japanese
watashi no koto wo wasurete kudasai – 私のことを忘れてください (わたしのことをわすれてください)
Please forget me.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- koto – こと : a noun meaning ‘thing’, ‘stuff’, or such in Japanese. This can also work as plural. In the example, this works together with “watashi no” to mean, for example, ‘the things about me’ in Japanese. The phrase has been translated as just “me”, though.
- 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 “wasurete” to add the meaning of ‘please’.
This is a typical usage of “wasurete”. In this example, it has the smooth connection with “kudasai”. When we want to use “wasureru” in front of another verb like this, its te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
Wasurereba: the ba form of “wasureru”
Lastly, let me explain the definition and meanings of “wasurereba”.
- wasurereba – 忘れれば (わすれれば) : the ba form of “wasureru”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to forget’ or ‘to leave something somewhere carelessly’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “wasurereba” consisits of the following two parts:
- wasurere – 忘れれ (わすれれ) : one conjugation of “wasureru”. 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 “wasurereba” is literally the ba form of “wasureru”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “wasurereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to forget’ or ‘to leave something somewhere carelessly’ in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #7: how to say “if forget” in Japanese
yakusoku wo wasurereba, kimi wa korosa reru yo – 約束を忘れれば、君は殺されるよ (やくそくをわすれれば、きみはころされるよ)
If you forget your promise, you’ll be killed.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kimi – 君 (きみ) : a pronoun meaning ‘you’ in Japanese.
- korosa – 殺さ (ころさ) : one conjugation of the verb, “korosu“, which means ‘to kill’ or ‘to murder’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- reru – れる : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make its passive form. In the example, this is used after “korosa” to make its passive form, “korosa reru”, which means ‘to be killed’ 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 “wasurereba”. In the example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “yakusoku wo wasurereba”, which means ‘if you forget your promise’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to forget’ or ‘to leave something somewhere carelessly’ in Japanese, this ba form is a good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “wasureru” together with its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- wasureru – 忘れる (わすれる) : a verb meaning ‘to forget’ or ‘to leave something somewhere carelessly’ in Japanese.
- wasurenai – 忘れない (わすれない) : the nai form of “wasureru”, which means ‘not to forget’ or ‘not to leave something somewhere carelessly’ in Japanese.
- wasureyou – 忘れよう (わすれよう) : the volitional form of “wasureru”, which expresses volition to forget.
- wasuremasu – 忘れます (わすれます) : the masu form of “wasureru”, which means ‘to forget’ or ‘to leave something somewhere carelessly’ politely in Japanese.
- wasureta – 忘れた (わすれた) : the ta form of “wasureru”, which means ‘forgot’ or ‘left something somewhere carelessly’ in Japanese.
- wasurete – 忘れて (わすれて) : the te form of “wasureru”, which means ‘to forget’ or ‘to leave something somewhere carelessly’ in Japanese. When we want to use “wasureru” in front of another verb, this te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
- wasurereba – 忘れれば (わすれれば) : the ba form of “wasureru”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to forget’ or ‘to leave something somewhere carelessly’ in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.