What does “yomu” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “yomu” to mean ‘to read’ 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 “yomu” more properly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
- Definition and meaning of “yomu”
- Yomanai: the nai form of “yomu”
- Yomou: the volitional form of “yomu”
- Yomimasu: the masu form of “yomu”
- Yonda: the past tense form of “yomu”
- Yonde: the te form of “yomu”
- Yomeba: the ba form of “yomu”
- Summary
Definition and meaning of “yomu”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “yomu”.
- yomu – 読む (よむ) : a verb meaning ‘to read’ 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 “read” in Japanese
watashi wa mainichi manga wo yomu – 私は毎日漫画を読む (わたしはまいにちまんがをよむ)
I read manga every day.
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.
- mainichi – 毎日 (まいにち) : a noun meaning ‘every day’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb almost anywhere in a sentence. In the example, this works as an adverb in the middle of the sentence to say “every day” in Japanese.
- manga – 漫画 (まんが) : a noun meaning ‘manga’ in Japanese.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “manga” to make the object in the sentence.
This is a typical usage of “yomu”. In the example, it works together with the case particle, “wo”, to have the object. When we want to mean ‘to read’ in Japanese, anyway, this verb is always a very good option.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “yomu” 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 “yomanai”.
Yomanai: the nai form of “yomu”
Below are the definition and meaning of “yomanai”.
- yomanai – 読まない (よまない) : the nai form of “yomu”, which means ‘not to read’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “yomanai” consists of the following two parts:
- yoma – 読ま (よま) : one conjugation of “yomu”. 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 “yomanai” is literally the nai form of “yomu” and means ‘not to read’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to say “not read” in Japanese
kanojo wa manga wo yomanai – 彼女は漫画を読まない (かのじょはまんがをよまない)
She doesn’t read manga.
Below is the new word used in the example sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “yomanai”. When we want to mean ‘not to read’ in Japanese, this nai form is a very good option.
Yomou: the volitional form of “yomu”
Below are the definition and meaning of “yomou”.
- yomou – 読もう (よもう) : the volitional form of “yomu”, which expresses volition to read.
Grammatically, “yomou” consists of the following two parts:
- yomo – 読も (よも) : one conjugation of “yomu”. 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 “yomou” is literally the volitional form of “yomu” and expresses volition to read in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #3: how to say “let’s read” in Japanese
shousetsu wo yomou – 小説を読もう (しょうせつをよもう)
Let’s read novels!
Below is the new word used in the example sentence.
- shousetsu – 小説 (しょうせつ) : a noun meaning ‘novel’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
This is a typical usage of “yomou”. In this example, it works to make the suggestion. When we want to say “let’s read” in Japanese, this volitional form is a good option.
Yomimasu: the masu form of “yomu”
Below are the definition and meaning of “yomimasu”.
- yomimasu – 読みます (よみます) : the masu form of “yomu”, which means ‘to read’ politely in Japanese.
Grammatically, “yomimasu” consists of the following two parts:
- yomi – 読み (よみ) : one conjugation of “yomu”. 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 “yomimasu” is literally the masu form of “yomu” and means ‘to read’ politely in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #4: how to say “read” politely in Japanese
seito wa maiasa hon wo yomimasu – 生徒は毎朝本を読みます (せいとはまいあさほんをよみます)
Students read books every morning.
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.
- maiasa – 毎朝 (まいあさ) : a noun meaning ‘every morning’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb almost anywhere in a sentence. In the example, this works as an adverb in the middle of the sentence to say “every morning” in Japanese.
- hon – 本 (ほん) : a noun meaning ‘book’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
This is a typical usage of “yomimasu”. 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 “read” politely in Japanese, this form is a very good option.
Yonda: the past tense form of “yomu”
Below are the definition and meanings of “yonda”.
- yonda – 読んだ (よんだ) : the past tense form of “yomu”, which means ‘read’, ‘have read’, or such in Japanese.
Grammatically, “yonda” consists of the following two parts:
- yon – 読ん (よん) : one conjugation of “yomu”. 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 “yonda” is literally the past tense form of “yomu” and means ‘read’, ‘have read’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #5: how to say “read” in Japanese
boku mo kesa manga wo yonda – 僕も今朝漫画を読んだ (ぼくもけさまんがをよんだ)
I read manga this morning, too.
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.
- 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 sentence with adding the meaning of ‘too’.
- kesa – 今朝 (けさ) : a noun meaning ‘this morning’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb almost anywhere in a sentence. In the example, this works as an adverb in the middle of the sentence to say “this morning” in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “yonda”. When we want to use the past tense form of “yomu”, this is the best option.
Yonde: the te form of “yomu”
Below are the definition and meaning of “yonde”.
- yonde – 読んで (よんで) : the te form of “yomu”, which means ‘to read’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “yonde” consists of the following two parts:
- yon – 読ん (よん) : one conjugation of “yomu”. 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 “yonde” is literally the te form of “yomu”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “yonde” is very useful when we want to use “yomu” 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 read” in Japanese
kyoukasho mo yonde kudasai – 教科書も読んでください (きょうかしょもよんでください)
Please read textbooks too.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kyoukasho – 教科書 (きょうかしょ) : a noun meaning ‘textbook’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- kudasai – ください : one conjugation of the verb, “kudasaru”, which means ‘to give’ 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 “yonde” to add the meaning of ‘please’.
This is a typical usage of “yonde”. In the example, it has the smooth connection with “kudasai”. When we want to use “yomu” in front of another verb like this, its te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
Yomeba: the ba form of “yomu”
Lastly, let me explain the definition and meaning of “yomeba”.
- yomeba – 読めば (よめば) : the ba form of “yomu”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to read’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “yomeba” consists of the following two parts:
- yome – 読め (よめ) : one conjugation of “yomu”. 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 “yomeba” is literally the ba form of “yomu”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “yomeba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to read’. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #7: how to say “if read” in Japanese
hon wo yomeba, sekai ga hirogaru – 本を読めば、世界が広がる (ほんをよめば、せかいがひろがる)
If you read books, you can broaden your horizons.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- sekai – 世界 (せかい) : a noun meaning ‘world’ 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 “sekai” to make the subject word in the second clause.
- hirogaru – 広がる (ひろがる) : a verb meaning ‘to broaden’, ‘to expand’, ‘to grow’, or such in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “yomeba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “hon wo yomeba”, which means ‘if you read books’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to read’ in Japanese, this ba form is a good option.
The literal meaning of the Japanese sentence is more like ‘if you read books, your world will grow’, but it has been translated in a more natural way.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “yomu” together with its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- yomu – 読む (よむ) : a verb meaning ‘to read’ in Japanese.
- yomanai – 読まない (よまない) : the nai form of “yomu”, which means ‘not to read’ in Japanese.
- yomou – 読もう (よもう) : the volitional form of “yomu”, which expresses volition to read.
- yomimasu – 読みます (よみます) : the masu form of “yomu”, which means ‘to read’ politely in Japanese.
- yonda – 読んだ (よんだ) : the past tense form of “yomu”, which means ‘read’, ‘have read’, or such in Japanese.
- yonde – 読んで (よんで) : the te form of “yomu”, which means ‘to read’ in Japanese. When we want to use “yomu” in front of another verb, this te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
- yomeba – 読めば (よめば) : the ba form of “yomu”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to read’ in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
