蝕む

Japanese

Kanji in this term
蝕
むしば Hyōgaiji
kun’yomi

Alternative spellings
虫喰む 虫食む

Etymology

Compound of 虫(むし) (mushi, “bug”) + 喰(は)む (hamu, “eat”).

Verb

蝕(むしば)む • (mushibamu) godan (stem 蝕(むしば)み (mushibami), past 蝕(むしば)んだ (mushibanda))

1. (of bugs) to eat through; to damage
2. (figuratively) to destroy or damage one's mind/mental health or body

   体(からだ)を蝕(むしば)む

   karada o mushibamu

   to eat away at the body

   病(びょう)魔(ま)に蝕(むしば)まれる

   byōma ni mushibamareru

   to be crippled by a disease

   • 1947, Kunio Kishida, Nihonjin to wa? [A Japanese is...?]‎^[1]:

     青(せい)春(しゅん)の夢(ゆめ)を蝕(むしば)む立(りっ)身(しん)出(しゅっ)世(せ)主(しゅ)義(ぎ)の跳(ちょう)梁(りょう)

     seishun no yume o mushibamu risshin-shusse-shugi no chōryō

     the rampancy of rising-in-the-world-ism that eats away at adolescent dreams

Conjugation

Conjugation of "蝕む" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
Mizenkei ("imperfective")	蝕ま	むしばま	mushibama
Ren’yōkei ("continuative")	蝕み	むしばみ	mushibami
Shūshikei ("terminal")	蝕む	むしばむ	mushibamu
Rentaikei ("attributive")	蝕む	むしばむ	mushibamu
Kateikei ("hypothetical")	蝕め	むしばめ	mushibame
Meireikei ("imperative")	蝕め	むしばめ	mushibame
Key constructions
Passive	蝕まれる	むしばまれる	mushibamareru
Causative	蝕ませる 蝕ます	むしばませる むしばます	mushibamaseru mushibamasu
Potential	蝕める	むしばめる	mushibameru
Volitional	蝕もう	むしばもう	mushibamō
Negative	蝕まない	むしばまない	mushibamanai
Negative continuative	蝕まず	むしばまず	mushibamazu
Formal	蝕みます	むしばみます	mushibamimasu
Perfective	蝕んだ	むしばんだ	mushibanda
Conjunctive	蝕んで	むしばんで	mushibande
Hypothetical conditional	蝕めば	むしばめば	mushibameba