Common word› JLPT N5 › Freq. Frequency Top 2,000 Conjugation 並ぶ · godan verb (-bu)
Form Positive Negative Dictionary 並なら ぶ 並なら ばない Polite 並なら びます 並なら びません Past polite 並なら びました 並なら びませんでした Past 並なら んだ 並なら ばなかった Te-form 並なら んで 並なら ばないで Desire 並なら びたい 並なら びたくない Potential 並なら べる 並なら べない Passive 並なら ばれる 並なら ばれない Causative 並なら ばせる 並なら ばせない Causative passive 並なら ばせられる also 並なら ばされる 並なら ばせられない also 並なら ばされない Volitional 並なら ぼう Polite volitional 並なら びましょう Imperative 並なら べ 並なら ぶな Conditional 並なら べば 並なら ばなければ Tara conditional 並なら んだら 並なら ばなかったら
Pairs with 並べる › Usage patterns 〈 人ひと 〉 が 〈 場ば 所しょ 〉 に 並なら ぶ for people to line up at a place
Customers are lining up in front of the checkout counter.
〈 人ひと 〉 と 並なら ぶ to be on par with someone in ability or status
He has skill that rivals the world's best player.
〈 物もの 〉 が 〈 場ば 所しょ 〉 に 並なら ぶ for objects to be arranged in a row at a place
Lots of books are lined up on the bookshelf.
列れつ に 並なら ぶ to stand in a queue
I stood in line to buy movie tickets.
Transitive / intransitive Related words· 6 揃う emphasizes that a set is complete or all present, while 並ぶ emphasizes the physical arrangement in a row.
匹敵する is a formal verb meaning 'to be comparable to' or 'to rival', closely matching the second, competitive sense of 並ぶ .
連なる is a more literary word for forming a continuous row or chain, while 並ぶ is the everyday word for lining up.
並ぶ is the general verb for standing in a line or side by side, while 整列 stresses a deliberate, orderly formation as in schools or the military.
Show 2 more Show fewer 並ぶ is the plain verb for lining up or standing side by side, while 肩を並べる adds the image of shoulders touching and often carries a figurative sense too.
並ぶ focuses on lining up in a row, whereas 隣り合う emphasizes the state of being right next to another thing or person, not necessarily in a line.
Word family· 20 line; row; rank; list
and; as well as; both ... and
side-by-side arrangement; parallel positioning · following the crowd; going along with others · equal treatment; egalitarian approach
stand in a row; line up · be on a par with; equal
row of teeth; set of teeth; dentition
Show 11 more Show fewer stand in a line; stand in a row · be equal; stand on equal footing
alignment line
sort order; sequence
sit in a row; be seated together
line up with; stand alongside; be on a par with
unparalleled; unequaled; unique
unparalleled; unequaled; unique
figurehead; person with a title but no real duty · kabuki actor playing a daimyo in the background
attribute list; attribute specification list
rearrange; reorder; sort
rank alongside; class with; hold in equal esteem
See all 20 in Explore →
Written forms 並なら ぶ Usage 90%
Standard kanji spelling for all senses.
ならぶ Usage 10%
列なら ぶ Usage <1%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; 並ぶ is overwhelmingly preferred.
双なら ぶ Usage <1%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; 並ぶ is overwhelmingly preferred.
Etymology Derived from the verb 並ぶ (narabu), which has been used since Old Japanese. The kanji 並 depicts two people standing side by side, reflecting the core meaning of lining up.
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