Translation guide
How to express 'leave behind' in Japanese, covering physical objects, people, abstract things, and intentional/unintentional nuances.
You accidentally left something somewhere.
The most common way to say you forgot something and left it behind. Use with the place marked by に.
I left my umbrella on the train.
I accidentally left my passport at the hotel.
Specifically means to put something down and then forget it. Emphasizes the act of leaving it behind.
I left my smartphone behind at the café.
You deliberately leave someone or something at a location.
To leave something behind, often with a sense of keeping it there or not taking it with you. Can be used for people or things.
I went out, leaving the child at home.
Literally 'put and go', meaning to leave something/someone behind when you depart. Often implies a deliberate action.
I left him at the station.
Something remains after a person or event, like an impression, influence, or result.
Used for leaving behind a legacy, impression, record, etc. Often in the pattern 〜を残す.
He left behind great achievements.
Those words left a strong impression.
Intransitive; describes something that remains behind, like a feeling or aftereffect.
A strange aftertaste was left behind.
To outpace or surpass someone, leaving them behind.
To abandon a person, place, or thing, often permanently.
忘れる is general 'forget', while 置き忘れる specifically means 'leave behind by forgetting'. Use 忘れる when the focus is on forgetting, and 置き忘れる when the physical act of leaving is emphasized.
I forgot my umbrella. (Maybe I left it somewhere, or just didn't bring it.)
I left my umbrella at the store. (I put it down and forgot it.)
残す implies intentional leaving or something remaining. If you accidentally left your phone at home, use 忘れる, not 残す.
I left my phone at home. (accidentally)
I'll leave my luggage here.
I feel like I've been left behind by the times.
A dog had been left behind on the roadside.