泳ぐ

Japanese

Kanji in this term
泳
およ Grade: 3
kun'yomi

Alternative spelling
游ぐ

Etymology

Likely from Old Japanese, from Proto-Japonic *oyonku. Included in The Tale of Genji from the late 900s or early 1000s. Listed in sources with a note that this may have been pronounced originally as oyoku,^[1]^[2]^[3] however, cognates among the Ryūkyūan languages would seem to support a voiced /ɡ/ as the final consonant. Compare Kunigami 泳じゅん (uijun), Okinawan 泳じゅん (qwiijun).

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) およぐ [òyóꜜgù] (Nakadaka – [2])^[2]^[4]^[5]
IPA^(key): [o̞jo̞ɡɯ̟]

Tokyo pitch accent of conjugated forms of 泳ぐ

Plain	泳ぐ	およぐ	`[òyóꜜgù]`
Conjunctive	泳いで	およいで	`[òyóꜜìdè]`
Perfective	泳いだ	およいだ	`[òyóꜜìdà]`
Negative	泳がない	およがない	`[òyógáꜜnàì]`
Negative perfective	泳がなかった	およがなかった	`[òyógáꜜnàkàttà]`
Hypothetical conditional	泳げば	およげば	`[òyóꜜgèbà]`
Past conditional	泳いだら	およいだら	`[òyóꜜìdàrà]`
Imperative	泳げ	およげ	`[òyóꜜgè]`
Volitional	泳ごう	およごー	`[òyógóꜜò]`
Desiderative	泳ぎたい	およぎたい	`[òyógítáꜜì]`
Formal	泳ぎます	およぎます	`[òyógímáꜜsù]`
Formal negative	泳ぎません	およぎません	`[òyógímáséꜜǹ]`
Formal volitional	泳ぎましょう	およぎましょー	`[òyógímáshóꜜò]`
Formal perfective	泳ぎました	およぎました	`[òyógímáꜜshìtà]`
Continuative	泳ぎ泳ぎに	およぎおよぎに	`[òyóꜜgì]` `[òyóꜜgì nì]`
Negative continuative	泳がず泳がずに	およがずおよがずに	`[òyógáꜜzù]` `[òyógáꜜzù nì]`
Passive	泳がれる	およがれる	`[òyógáréꜜrù]`
Causative	泳がせる泳がす	およがせるおよがす	`[òyógáséꜜrù]` `[òyógáꜜsù]`
Potential	泳げる	およげる	`[òyógéꜜrù]`

Verb

泳(およ)ぐ • (oyogu) intransitive godan (stem 泳(およ)ぎ (oyogi), past 泳(およ)いだ (oyoida))

to swim
昨日(きのう)、私(わたし)はジムで５(ご)キロ泳(およ)ぎました。
Kinō, watashi wa jimu de go kiro oyogimashita.
Yesterday I swam 5 kilometers at the gym.

ここで泳(およ)げる。
Koko de oyogeru.
We can swim here.

泳(およ)ぐことができない。
Oyogu koto ga dekinai.
I cannot swim.
to act freely while being monitored (in the possibility that one will do something incriminating); used in the causative 泳がす、泳がせる (oyogasu, oyogaseru, “to let someone act freely and monitor them”)
容疑者(ようぎしゃ)を泳(およ)がせる
yōgisha o oyogaseru
to let a suspect swim → to monitor a suspect

Conjugation

Conjugation of "泳ぐ" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs)
Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
Mizenkei ("imperfective")	泳が	およが	oyoga
Ren’yōkei ("continuative")	泳ぎ	およぎ	oyogi
Shūshikei ("terminal")	泳ぐ	およぐ	oyogu
Rentaikei ("attributive")	泳ぐ	およぐ	oyogu
Kateikei ("hypothetical")	泳げ	およげ	oyoge
Meireikei ("imperative")	泳げ	およげ	oyoge
Key constructions
Passive	泳がれる	およがれる	oyogareru
Causative	泳がせる泳がす	およがせるおよがす	oyogaseru oyogasu
Potential	泳げる	およげる	oyogeru
Volitional	泳ごう	およごう	oyogō
Negative	泳がない	およがない	oyoganai
Negative continuative	泳がず	およがず	oyogazu
Formal	泳ぎます	およぎます	oyogimasu
Perfective	泳いだ	およいだ	oyoida
Conjunctive	泳いで	およいで	oyoide
Hypothetical conditional	泳げば	およげば	oyogeba

Classical conjugation of "泳ぐ" (ガ行四段活用, see Appendix:Japanese verbs.)
Stem forms
Irrealis (未然形)	泳が	およが	oyoga
Continuative (連用形)	泳ぎ	およぎ	oyogi
Terminal (終止形)	泳ぐ	およぐ	oyogu
Attributive (連体形)	泳ぐ	およぐ	oyogu
Realis (已然形)	泳げ	およげ	oyoge
Imperative (命令形)	泳げ	およげ	oyoge
Key constructions
Negative	泳がず	およがず	oyogazu
Contrasting conjunction	泳げど	およげど	oyogedo
Causal conjunction	泳げば	およげば	oyogeba
Conditional conjunction	泳がば	およがば	oyogaba
Past tense (firsthand knowledge)	泳ぎき	およぎき	oyogiki
Past tense (secondhand knowledge)	泳ぎけり	およぎけり	oyogikeri
Perfect tense (conscious action)	泳ぎつ	およぎつ	oyogitu
Perfect tense (natural event)	泳ぎぬ	およぎぬ	oyoginu
Perfect-continuative tense	泳げり泳ぎたり	およげりおよぎたり	oyogeri oyogitari
Volitional	泳がむ	およがむ	oyogamu

Extended conjugation of oyogu "泳ぐ" (Class: godan "pentagrade")

(See Appendix:Japanese verbs and Japanese conjugation)
Ren’yōkei ("continuative form")	泳ぎ [oyogi]
Rentaikei ("attributive form")	泳ぐ [oyogu]
	Positive	Negative
Conjunctive (te-form)	泳いで [oyoide]	泳がないで [oyoganai de] 泳がなくて [oyoganakute]
Non-past / Imperfective
	Positive	Negative
Plain	泳ぐ [oyogu]	泳がない [oyoganai]
Polite	泳ぎます [oyogimasu]	泳ぎません [oyogimasen]
Past / Perfective
	Positive	Negative
Plain	泳いだ [oyoida]	泳がなかった [oyoganakatta]
Polite	泳ぎました [oyogimashita]	泳ぎませんでした [oyogimasen deshita]
Passive
Verb stem	泳がれ [oyogare]
	Positive	Negative
Plain	泳がれる [oyogareru]	泳がれない [oyogarenai]
Polite	泳がれます [oyogaremasu]	泳がれません [oyogaremasen]
Past	泳がれた [oyogareta]	泳がれなかった [oyogarenakatta]
Polite past	泳がれました [oyogaremashita]	泳がれませんでした [oyogaremasen deshita]
Causative
Verb stem	泳がせ [oyogase]
	Positive	Negative
Plain	泳がせる [oyogaseru] short form: 泳がす [oyogasu]	泳がせない [oyogasenai]
Polite	泳がせます [oyogasemasu]	泳がせません [oyogasemasen]
Past	泳がせた [oyogaseta]	泳がせなかった [oyogasenakatta]
Polite past	泳がせました [oyogasemashita]	泳がせませんでした [oyogasemasen deshita]
Potential
Verb stem	泳げ [oyoge]
	Positive	Negative
Plain	泳げる [oyogeru]	泳げない [oyogenai]
Polite	泳げます [oyogemasu]	泳げません [oyogemasen]
Past	泳げた [oyogeta]	泳げなかった [oyogenakatta]
Polite past	泳げました [oyogemashita]	泳げませんでした [oyogemasen deshita]
Imperative
	Positive	Negative
Meireikei / Firm instruction	泳げ [oyoge]	—
Other imperative constructions
	Positive	Negative
Polite request	泳いでください [oyoide kudasai]	泳がないでください [oyoganai de kudasai]
-nasai form	泳ぎなさい [oyoginasai]	—
Prohibitive / Do not ~	—	泳ぐな [oyogu na]
Volitional / Presumptive
	Positive	Negative
Plain	泳ごう [oyogō]	—
Polite	泳ぎましょう [oyogimashō]	—
Conditional
	Positive	Negative
Hypothetical / Provisional	泳げば [oyogeba]	泳がなければ [oyoganakereba] colloquial: 泳がなきゃ [oyoganakya]
-tara form	泳いだら [oyoidara]	泳がなかったら [oyoganakattara]
Causative passive
Verb stem	standard: 泳がせられ [oyogaserare] colloquial: 泳がされ [oyogasare] ¹
	Positive	Negative
Plain	泳がせられる [oyogaserareru] 泳がされる [oyogasareru]	泳がせられない [oyogaserarenai] 泳がされない [oyogasarenai]
Polite	泳がせられます [oyogaseraremasu] 泳がされます [oyogasaremasu]	泳がせられません [oyogaseraremasen] 泳がされません [oyogasaremasen]
Past	泳がせられた [oyogaserareta] 泳がされた [oyogasareta]	泳がせられなかった [oyogaserarenakatta] 泳がされなかった [oyogasarenakatta]
Polite past	泳がせられました [oyogaseraremashita] 泳がされました [oyogasaremashita]	泳がせられませんでした [oyogaseraremasen deshita] 泳がされませんでした [oyogasaremasen deshita]
Desiderative (-tai form)
	Positive	Negative
Plain	泳ぎたい [oyogitai]	泳ぎたくない [oyogitaku nai]
	For other desiderative forms, see たい#Inflection.
Progressive action and current state (-te iru form)
	Positive	Negative
Plain	泳いでいる [oyoide iru] contraction: 泳いでる [oyoideru]	泳いでいない [oyoide inai] contraction: 泳いでない [oyoidenai]
Polite	泳いでいます [oyoide imasu]	泳いでいません [oyoide imasen]
Past	泳いでいた [oyoide ita]	泳いでいなかった [oyoide inakatta]
Polite past	泳いでいました [oyoide imashita]	泳いでいませんでした [oyoide imasen deshita]

Other forms and constructions
Archaic or classical negative	泳がぬ [oyoganu] ²
Archaic attributive negative	泳がぬ [oyoganu] ²
Colloquial or dialectal -ん negative	泳がん [oyogan]
Negative continuative	泳がず [oyogazu] ²
(〜に): without ~ing	泳がず [oyogazu] ²
Representative / Listing examples	泳いだり [oyoidari]

¹ In everyday speech, せら is shortened into さ in the causative passive forms of godan verbs: 泳がせられる → 泳がされる.
² Archaic form, now mostly used in set phrases, written language and formal speech.

Derived terms

蛙(かえる)泳(およ)ぎ (kaeru oyogi): “frog swimming” → breaststroke
平(ひら)泳(およ)ぎ (hira oyogi): “flat swimming” → breaststroke
背(せ)泳(およ)ぎ (se oyogi): “back swimming” → backstroke
横(よこ)泳(およ)ぎ (yoko oyogi): “sideways swimming” → sidestroke
立(た)ち泳(およ)ぎ (tachi oyogi): “standing swimming” → treading water

Idioms

時流(じりゅう)に乗(の)って泳(およ)ぐ (jiryū ni notte oyogu): “to swim, riding on the current of the times” → to go with the flow
人波(ひとなみ)を泳(およ)ぐ (hitonami o oyogu): “to swim the surging crowd” → to wade through a crowd

Synonyms

水泳(すいえい)する (suiei suru): to swim

References

^ Shōgaku Tosho (1988), 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (1995), 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN
^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
^ Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

“泳ぐ”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎^[1] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015–2026

[KDJ-1] Shōgaku Tosho (1988), 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN

[DJR-2] 2.0 ^2.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[DJS-3] Matsumura, Akira, editor (1995), 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN

[NHK-4] NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

[SMK5-5] Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

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