祈る · godan verb (-ru)
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | 祈る | 祈らない |
| Polite | 祈ります | 祈りません |
| Past polite | 祈りました | 祈りませんでした |
| Past | 祈った | 祈らなかった |
| Te-form | 祈って | 祈らないで |
| Desire | 祈りたい | 祈りたくない |
| Potential | 祈れる | 祈れない |
| Passive | 祈られる | 祈られない |
| Causative | 祈らせる | 祈らせない |
| Causative passive | 祈らせられるalso 祈らされる | 祈らせられないalso 祈らされない |
| Volitional | 祈ろう | |
| Polite volitional | 祈りましょう | |
| Imperative | 祈れ | 祈るな |
| Conditional | 祈れば | 祈らなければ |
| Tara conditional | 祈ったら | 祈らなかったら |
godan verb (-ru), transitive verb
pray; say a prayer; say grace
Used for religious or spiritual prayer, including saying grace before meals. Often takes に or へ for the entity prayed to, and を for the content of the prayer.
I pray to God every night before bed.
My grandmother always says a prayer before meals.
godan verb (-ru), transitive verb
Expresses a strong personal wish or hope, often for someone else's happiness, success, or well-being. Commonly used in set phrases like ご多幸を祈ります (I wish you happiness).
I sincerely wish you all good health and happiness.
We toasted, wishing for his success.
I prayed for my family's safety.
I prayed to God.
I prayed that it would be sunny tomorrow.
I wish everyone good health.
祈る is the general verb for praying or wishing, while 拝む specifically implies the physical gesture of pressing the palms together and bowing.
祈る is the general verb for praying, often aloud or in a ritual setting, while 念じる stresses silent, intense mental concentration on a wish.
祈る is the common, everyday verb for 'to pray', while 祈念 is a more formal noun often used in set phrases or written/ceremonial contexts.
祈る is the general, everyday verb 'to pray', while 祈願 is a more formal noun/suru-verb for a specific, earnest petition to a deity.
祈る means simply 'to pray' in a general sense, whereas 祭る implies a more formal, ritualized act of worship directed at an enshrined deity.
祝う focuses on celebrating something that has happened, while 祈る means to pray or wish for good fortune without necessarily marking an event.
Rare kanji variant; learners should use 祈る.