Translation guide
The English verb "hold" covers many physical and abstract meanings. In Japanese, different words and patterns are used depending on what is being held, how, and why. This guide breaks down the most common uses for learners.
To have something in your hand, or to take and keep it there.
The most general verb for holding something in your hand. Works for objects of any size.
ペンを持ってください。
Please hold the pen.
He is holding a bag.
To grip or grasp firmly, often with the whole hand. Implies a tighter hold than 持つ.
Please hold my hand.
He held the steering wheel tightly.
To grab, seize, or hold onto something, often with a sense of catching or clutching.
He grabbed my arm.
To hold something while moving, or to support its weight.
To have the capacity for a certain amount or number.
To cause something to remain in a certain condition.
Use 保つ (たもつ) to mean 'keep, maintain'. Often used with adjectives in adverbial form.
Please hold the room warm.
Means 'to leave/keep something in a state'. More casual than 保つ.
Hold the door open.
To arrange and conduct a meeting, party, etc.
To have a particular opinion or belief.
To stay on the line without hanging up.
Polite phrase meaning 'please hold the line'. Literally 'please wait as you are'.
Please hold for a moment.
Literally 'please wait without hanging up'.
Please hold the line.
To bear weight, pressure, or difficulty without breaking.
While 持つ is the most common translation for 'hold', it doesn't work for holding events, containing capacity, or holding a belief. Using it in those contexts will sound unnatural.
持つ is general 'hold'. 握る implies a firm grip (like a fist). 掴む implies grabbing or seizing, often with a sense of catching something moving.
The bottle holds 2 liters.
Hold the door, please.
Literally 'keep the door pressed/stopped'. 持つ would be wrong here.
彼は倒れそうな木を支えた。
He held up the falling tree.
To hold out, to last. Often used in sports or battles.
The team held on until the end.