Common word› JLPT N2 › Freq. Frequency Top 10,000 Conjugation サボる · godan verb (-ru)
Form Positive Negative Dictionary サボる サボらない Polite サボります サボりません Past polite サボりました サボりませんでした Past サボった サボらなかった Te-form サボって サボらないで Desire サボりたい サボりたくない Potential サボれる サボれない Passive サボられる サボられない Causative サボらせる サボらせない Causative passive サボらせられる also サボらされる サボらせられない also サボらされない Volitional サボろう Polite volitional サボりましょう Imperative サボれ サボるな Conditional サボれば サボらなければ Tara conditional サボったら サボらなかったら
Usage patterns 〈 事こと 〉 をサボる to skip or shirk something (school, work, practice, etc.)
I skipped school today and played in the park instead.
サボって 〈 動どう 詞し 〉 to skip a duty and do something else instead
I skipped the meeting and ended up sleeping.
Transitive / intransitive サボる is used both transitively and intransitively: transitively with a direct object, as in 学校をサボる (to skip school), and intransitively without one, as in 今日はサボった (I slacked off today).
Related words 怠ける is a general word for being lazy or idle, while サボる specifically means dodging a particular duty like school or work.
休む is the neutral verb for taking a day off or resting, whereas サボる carries the negative sense of shirking without a legitimate reason.
さぼる is a casual verb for skipping work, school, or duty entirely, whereas 手を抜く means doing a task but with less care or effort.
サボる is casual slang for intentionally skipping or slacking off, whereas 怠る can describe neglect from carelessness as well as intent.
Don't confuse with サボタージュ is the original loanword for organized industrial sabotage or work-to-rule action, while サボる is the casual verb for personally skipping school, work, or other obligations.
Written forms サボる Usage 54%
Standard katakana-kanji hybrid spelling; the most common written form.
さぼる Usage 46%
Hiragana spelling, often used in casual writing or when the katakana origin is not emphasized.
Etymology Derived from the loanword サボタージュ (sabotage), with the verb ending る added to create a colloquial godan verb.
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