浮く
浮く · godan verb (-ku)
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | 浮く | 浮かない |
| Polite | 浮きます | 浮きません |
| Past polite | 浮きました | 浮きませんでした |
| Past | 浮いた | 浮かなかった |
| Te-form | 浮いて | 浮かないで |
| Desire | 浮きたい | 浮きたくない |
| Potential | 浮ける | 浮けない |
| Passive | 浮かれる | 浮かれない |
| Causative | 浮かせる | 浮かせない |
| Causative passive | 浮かせられるalso 浮かされる | 浮かせられないalso 浮かされない |
| Volitional | 浮こう | |
| Polite volitional | 浮きましょう | |
| Imperative | 浮け | 浮くな |
| Conditional | 浮けば | 浮かなければ |
| Tara conditional | 浮いたら | 浮かなかったら |
Meanings
godan verb (-ku), intransitive verb
float; stay afloat
Basic intransitive use: something is on or in a liquid, air, etc. without sinking.
A leaf is floating on the pond.
Ice floats on water.
godan verb (-ku), intransitive verb
come loose; lift away; become unsteady
Used when something that should be fixed or flush with a surface has lifted, loosened, or become unstable.
The edge of the wallpaper has started to lift because of the humidity.
The old floorboard is a little loose.
godan verb (-ku), intransitive verb
feel out of place; be socially isolated; not fit in
Colloquial figurative use for a person or thing that does not blend in with the surrounding group, atmosphere, or setting.
Since I just transferred schools, I feel a little out of place in class.
Those flashy clothes looked out of place at the meeting.
godan verb (-ku), intransitive verb
be cheerful; be in good spirits
A mood-related use, especially familiar in negative fixed expressions such as 浮かない顔 and 浮かぬ顔, meaning a gloomy or downcast face.
See also: 浮かぬ顔
After failing the exam, he had a gloomy look on his face.
godan verb (-ku), intransitive verb
be saved; be left over; be freed up
Used with money, time, expenses, effort, etc. when something is saved or becomes available because it was not spent or used.
Because I went by bicycle, I saved the train fare.
The meeting ended early, so an hour freed up.
godan verb (-ku), intransitive verb
frivolous or amorous; groundless; unreliable
Mostly seen in attributive forms such as 浮いた + noun. Depending on the collocation, it can suggest light or frivolous romantic gossip, or something lacking a firm basis; the baseless or unreliable shade is less common as a standalone modern predicate.
There is hardly any romantic gossip about him.
You should not believe groundless rumors with no evidence.
Usage patterns
- 〈物〉が〈場所〉に浮くfor something to float on or in a place
Leaves are floating in the pond.
- 〈物〉が浮くfor a fixed object like a tile or floorboard to come loose or lift up
The floor tile has come loose.
- 〈人〉が〈場所〉で浮くfor a person to feel out of place or stand out awkwardly in a group or setting
He feels out of place at his new school.
- 〈人〉が浮かない顔をするfor someone to have a gloomy or downcast expression
She always has a gloomy look on her face.
- 浮いた〈事〉a frivolous or amorous (rumor, story)
He's often the subject of frivolous romantic rumors.
Expressions
- 宙に浮くfloat in the air; hover · be up in the air; be unsettled; be undecided
- 歯が浮くto have one's teeth set on edge; to become annoyed · to get loose teeth
- 浮きつ沈みつbobbing up and down; rising and falling
- 歯の浮くようなset one's teeth on edge; cringeworthy; saccharine
- 浮き彫りにするemboss; carve in relief · bring to the fore; highlight; accentuate
- 浮き彫りになるbecome distinct; stand out; be highlighted