うろつく

う

ろ

つ

く

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

うろつく · godan verb (-ku)

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	うろつく	うろつかない
Polite	うろつきます	うろつきません
Past polite	うろつきました	うろつきませんでした
Past	うろついた	うろつかなかった
Te-form	うろついて	うろつかないで
Desire	うろつきたい	うろつきたくない
Potential	うろつける	うろつけない
Passive	うろつかれる	うろつかれない
Causative	うろつかせる	うろつかせない
Causative passive	うろつかせられるalso うろつかされる	うろつかせられないalso うろつかされない
Volitional	うろつこう
Polite volitional	うろつきましょう
Imperative	うろつけ	うろつくな
Conditional	うろつけば	うろつかなければ
Tara conditional	うろついたら	うろつかなかったら

Meanings

godan verb (-ku), intransitive verb

loiter; hang around; wander around; prowl; roam

usually written using kana alone

Describes moving around a place without a clear purpose, often with a slightly negative nuance of being where one shouldn't be or making others uncomfortable.

夜よ中なかに公こう園えんをうろつくのは危あぶない。
It's dangerous to wander around the park in the middle of the night.
怪あやしい男おとこが家いえの前まえをうろついていた。
A suspicious man was loitering in front of the house.

See all 33 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈場ば所しょ〉をうろつくto loiter/hang around a place
彼かれは夜よる遅おそくまで街まちをうろついていた。
He was loitering around town until late at night.
〈場ば所しょ〉の周まわりをうろつくto hang around near a place
怪あやしい男おとこが家いえの周まわりをうろついていた。
A suspicious man was loitering around the house.
目もく的てきもなくうろつくto wander around aimlessly, with no particular purpose
彼かれは目もく的てきもなく町まちをうろついていた。
He wandered around town with no particular purpose.

Kanji

彷stray, wander, loiter
徨wandering

Related words

彷徨さまようN1
彷徨う emphasizes wandering with no destination, often as if lost or in a daze, while 彷徨く (うろつく) focuses on loitering around a specific area, often with a suspicious or aimless nuance.
徘はい徊かい
徘徊する is a more formal, clinical term often used for dementia patients wandering or police reports of suspicious wandering, while 彷徨く (うろつく) is the everyday word for hanging around a place.
ぶらつく
ぶらつく is neutral or casual, describing a relaxed stroll with no suspicious overtone, whereas 彷徨く (うろつく) often implies loitering somewhere one shouldn't be, making others uneasy.
うろうろN3
うろうろ is a mimetic adverb describing aimless wandering, while うろつく is the verb form that often adds a nuance of suspicious or shady loitering.
歩あるき回まわるN2
うろつく is a casual, often negatively-tinged word for loitering or hanging around suspiciously, whereas 歩き回る is neutral and simply describes moving around on foot.

Written forms

うろつくUsage97%
Usually written in kana; the kanji form 彷徨く is rare.
ウロつくUsage3%
search-only kana form
Search-only katakana form; not a standard written spelling.
彷徨うろつく
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form; learners should use the kana spelling.

Etymology

The origin is uncertain. The kanji 彷徨 is an ateji assignment based on the meaning of wandering, but the word itself is likely of native Japanese origin.