説く
説く · godan verb (-ku)
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | 説く | 説かない |
| Polite | 説きます | 説きません |
| Past polite | 説きました | 説きませんでした |
| Past | 説いた | 説かなかった |
| Te-form | 説いて | 説かないで |
| Desire | 説きたい | 説きたくない |
| Potential | 説ける | 説けない |
| Passive | 説かれる | 説かれない |
| Causative | 説かせる | 説かせない |
| Causative passive | 説かせられるalso 説かされる | 説かせられないalso 説かされない |
| Volitional | 説こう | |
| Polite volitional | 説きましょう | |
| Imperative | 説け | 説くな |
| Conditional | 説けば | 説かなければ |
| Tara conditional | 説いたら | 説かなかったら |
Meanings
godan verb (-ku), transitive verb
explain; expound; preach; advocate
Used for setting out a doctrine, theory, principle, moral lesson, or viewpoint in words. More formal and weighty than ordinary 説明する, and often appears with 教え, 理論, 必要性, 重要性, or ideals such as 平和.
The monk preached the Buddha's teachings to the villagers.
In her lecture, she advocated the need for environmental protection.
godan verb (-ku), transitive verb
persuade; reason with; urge someone to do something
Means to persuade someone by explaining reasons or appealing to their judgment. It is somewhat formal or literary; in everyday speech, 説得する is often the plainer choice.
I persuaded my friend to help with the plan.
My father reasoned with my younger brother and made him go apologize.
Usage patterns
- 〈事〉の必要性を説くto advocate/explain the necessity of something
He advocated the necessity of protecting the environment.
- 〈人〉に〈事〉を説くto reason with someone about something, urging them to accept it
He explained to the employees the importance of the reform, trying to persuade them.
- 教えを説くto preach/teach a doctrine or lesson
The monk preached the Buddha's teachings.
- 平和を説くto advocate for peace
The leader traveled around advocating for world peace.