弄ぶ (もてあそぶ, moteasobu) Japanese meaning: play with | KotomoraFreq.FrequencyTop 20,000弄ぶ · godan verb (-bu)
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|
| Dictionary | 弄ぶ | 弄ばない |
|---|
| Polite | 弄びます | 弄びません |
|---|
| Past polite | 弄びました | 弄びませんでした |
|---|
| Past | 弄んだ | 弄ばなかった |
|---|
| Te-form | 弄んで | 弄ばないで |
|---|
| Desire | 弄びたい | 弄びたくない |
|---|
| Potential | 弄べる | 弄べない |
|---|
| Passive | 弄ばれる | 弄ばれない |
|---|
| Causative | 弄ばせる | 弄ばせない |
|---|
| Causative passive | 弄ばせられるalso 弄ばされる | 弄ばせられないalso 弄ばされない |
|---|
| Volitional | 弄ぼう | |
|---|
| Polite volitional | 弄びましょう | |
|---|
| Imperative | 弄べ | 弄ぶな |
|---|
| Conditional | 弄べば | 弄ばなければ |
|---|
| Tara conditional | 弄んだら | 弄ばなかったら |
|---|
Meanings
話
を
聞
い
て
い
た
。
He listened to the talk while fiddling with a pen.
The cat is playing with a ball of yarn.
Usage patterns
〈物〉を弄ぶto fiddle with or idly play with an object
He idly fiddled with the pen in his hand while thinking.
〈人〉の心を弄ぶto toy with someone's heart or feelings
He has toyed with the feelings of many women.
運命に弄ばれるto be toyed with by fate; to be at the mercy of fate
His life seems to have been toyed with by fate.
権力を弄ぶto treat power carelessly, using it for one's own amusement or convenience
The politician behaved as if he were toying with his power.
Irregular kanji usage; もて is usually written in kana.
翫ぶ
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.
