What does “watasu” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “watasu” often to mean ‘to pass’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word 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 “watasu” more properly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
- Definition and meanings of “watasu”
- Watasanai: the nai form of “watasu”
- Watasou: the volitional form of “watasu”
- Watashimasu: the masu form of “watasu”
- Watashita: the past tense form of “watasu”
- Watashite: the te form of “watasu”
- Wataseba: the ba form of “watasu”
- Summary
Definition and meanings of “watasu”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “watasu”.
- watasu – 渡す (わたす) : a verb meaning ‘to pass’, ‘to hand over’, or just ‘to give’ in Japanese.
Japanese native speakers use this verb when they pass something from one side to another.
The definition and meanings are simple and clear, I think. 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 “pass” in Japanese
watashi wa itsumo kanojo ni kagi wo watasu – 私はいつも彼女に鍵を渡す (わたしはいつもかのじょにかぎをわたす)
I always pass her the key.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “watashi” to make the subject in the sentence.
- itsumo – いつも : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘always’ in Japanese.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
- ni – に : a case particle used to say in which direction an action goes. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to indicate to whom the speaker always pass the key.
- kagi – 鍵 (かぎ) : a noun meaning ‘key’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “kagi” to make the object in the sentence.
This is a typical usage of “watasu”. In this example, it works together with the case particle, “wo”, to have the object. When we want to mean ‘to pass’ in Japanese, anyway, this verb is a good option.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “watasu” 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 “watasanai”.
Watasanai: the nai form of “watasu”
Below are the definition and meanings of “watasanai”.
- watasanai – 渡さない (わたさない) : the nai form of “watasu”, which means ‘not to pass’, ‘not to hand over’, or ‘not to give’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “watasanai” consists of the following two parts:
- watasa – 渡さ (わたさ) : one conjugation of “watasu”. 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 “watasanai” is literally the nai form of “watasu” and means ‘not to pass’, ‘not to hand over’, or ‘not to give’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to say “not pass” in Japanese
kanojo wa kare ni kagi wo watasanai – 彼女は彼に鍵を渡さない (かのじょはかれにかぎをわたさない)
She doesn’t pass him the key.
Below is the new word used in the example sentence.
- kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “watasanai”. When we want to mean ‘not to pass’ in Japanese, this nai form is a good option.
Watasou: the volitional form of “watasu”
Below are the definition and meanings of “watasou”.
- watasou – 渡そう (わたそう) : the volitional form of “watasu”, which expresses volition to pass, hand over, or give.
Grammatically, “watasou” consists of the following two parts:
- wataso – 渡そ (わたそ) : one conjugation of “watasu”. 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 “watasou” is literally the volitional form of “watasu” and expresses volition to pass, hand over, or give in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #3: how to say “let’s give” in Japanese
jizen dantai ni okane wo watasou – 慈善団体にお金を渡そう (じぜんだんたいにおかねをわたそう)
Let’s give the money to the charity organization.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- jizen – 慈善 (じぜん) : a noun meaning ‘charity’ in Japanese.
- dantai – 団体 (だんたい) : a noun meaning ‘organization’ or just ‘group’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- okane – お金 (おかね) : a noun meaning ‘money’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “watasou”. In this example, it works to make the suggestion. When we want to say “let’s give” in Japanese, this volitional form is a good option.
Watashimasu: the masu form of “watasu”
Below are the definition and meanings of “watashimasu”.
- watashimasu – 渡します (わたします) : the masu form of “watasu”, which means ‘to pass’, ‘to hand over’, or ‘to give’ politely in Japanese.
Grammatically, “watashimasu” consists of the following two parts:
- watashi – 渡し (わたし) : one conjugation of “watasu”. 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 “watashimasu” is literally the masu form of “watasu” and means ‘to pass’, ‘to hand over’, or ‘to give’ politely in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #4: how to say “pass” politely in Japanese
kodomo tachi wa itsumo watashi ni kagi wo watashimasu – 子供達はいつも私に鍵を渡します (こどもたちはいつもわたしにかぎをわたします)
My kids always pass me the key.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kodomo – 子供 (こども) : a noun meaning ‘child’ or ‘kid’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after “kodomo” to make its plural form, “kodomo tachi”, which means ‘children’ or ‘kids’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “watashimasu”. 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 “pass” politely in Japanese, this form is a good option.
Watashita: the past tense form of “watasu”
Below are the definition and meanings of “watashita”.
- watashita – 渡した (わたした) : the past tense form of “watasu”, which means ‘passed’, ‘handed over’, ‘gave’, or such in Japanese.
Grammatically, “watashita” consists of the following two parts:
- watashi – 渡し (わたし) : one conjugation of “watasu”. 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 “watashita” is literally the past tense form of “watasu” and means ‘passed’, ‘handed over’, ‘gave’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #5: how to say “passed” in Japanese
boku tachi wa jizen dantai ni okane wo watashita – 僕達は慈善団体にお金を渡した (ぼくたちはじぜんだんたいにおかねをわたした)
We gave the money to the charity organization.
Below is the new word used in the example sentence.
- boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males. In the example, this is used together with “tachi” to mean ‘we’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “watashita”. When we want to use the past tense form of “watasu”, this form is the best option.
Watashite: the te form of “watasu”
Below are the definition and meanings of “watashite”.
- watashite – 渡して (わたして) : the te form of “watasu”, which means ‘to pass’, ‘to hand over’, or ‘to give’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “watashite” consists of the following two parts:
- watashi – 渡し (わたし) : one conjugation of “watasu”. 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 “watashite” is literally the te form of “watasu”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “watashite” is very useful when we want to use “watasu” 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 pass” in Japanese
shio wo watashite kudasai – 塩を渡してください (しおをわたしてください)
Please pass me the salt.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- shio – 塩 (しお) : a noun meaning ‘salt’ in Japanese.
- 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 “watashite” to add the meaning of ‘please’.
This is a typical usage of “watashite”. In the example, it has the smooth connection with “kudasai”. When we want to use “watasu” in front of another verb like this, its te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
Wataseba: the ba form of “watasu”
Lastly, let me explain the definition and meanings of “wataseba”.
- wataseba – 渡せば (わたせば) : the ba form of “watasu”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to pass’, ‘to hand over’, or ‘to give’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “wataseba” consists of the following two parts:
- watase – 渡せ (わたせ) : one conjugation of “watasu”. 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 “wataseba” is literally the ba form of “watasu”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “wataseba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to pass’, ‘to hand over’, or ‘to give’. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #7: how to say “if give” in Japanese
kimi ga okane wo wataseba, boku wa hataraku – 君がお金を渡せば、僕は働く (きみがおかねをわたせば、ぼくははたらく)
If you give me money, I will work.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kimi – 君 (きみ) : 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 “kimi” to make the subject in the conditional clause.
- hataraku – 働く (はたらく) : a verb meaning ‘to work’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “wataseba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “kimi ga okane wo wataseba”, which means ‘if you give me money’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to give’ in Japanese, this ba form is a good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “watasu” together with its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- watasu – 渡す (わたす) : a verb meaning ‘to pass’, ‘to hand over’, or just ‘to give’ in Japanese.
- watasanai – 渡さない (わたさない) : the nai form of “watasu”, which means ‘not to pass’, ‘not to hand over’, or ‘not to give’ in Japanese.
- watasou – 渡そう (わたそう) : the volitional form of “watasu”, which expresses volition to pass, hand over, or give.
- watashimasu – 渡します (わたします) : the masu form of “watasu”, which means ‘to pass’, ‘to hand over’, or ‘to give’ politely in Japanese.
- watashita – 渡した (わたした) : the past tense form of “watasu”, which means ‘passed’, ‘handed over’, ‘gave’, or such in Japanese.
- watashite – 渡して (わたして) : the te form of “watasu”, which means ‘to pass’, ‘to hand over’, or ‘to give’ in Japanese. When we want to use “watasu” in front of another verb, this te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
- wataseba – 渡せば (わたせば) : the ba form of “watasu”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to pass’, ‘to hand over’, or ‘to give’ in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
