伏せる
伏せる · ichidan verb
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | 伏せる | 伏せない |
| Polite | 伏せます | 伏せません |
| Past polite | 伏せました | 伏せませんでした |
| Past | 伏せた | 伏せなかった |
| Te-form | 伏せて | 伏せないで |
| Desire | 伏せたい | 伏せたくない |
| Potential | 伏せられるalso 伏せれる | 伏せられないalso 伏せれない |
| Passive | 伏せられる | 伏せられない |
| Causative | 伏せさせる | 伏せさせない |
| Causative passive | 伏せさせられる | 伏せさせられない |
| Volitional | 伏せよう | |
| Polite volitional | 伏せましょう | |
| Imperative | 伏せろ | 伏せるな |
| Conditional | 伏せれば | 伏せなければ |
| Tara conditional | 伏せたら | 伏せなかったら |
Meanings
ichidan verb, transitive verb
lay face down; place upside down; turn over (face down)
Transitive: placing an object with its front or top side down.
Place the playing cards face down.
I placed the book face down on the desk.
ichidan verb, transitive verb
cast down (eyes); lower (head); point downwards
Transitive: directing one's gaze or head downward, often to avoid eye contact or show deference.
He cast his eyes down shyly.
The students lowered their heads in front of the teacher.
ichidan verb, transitive verb, intransitive verb
lie face down; throw oneself to the ground; prostrate oneself
Intransitive or reflexive: lying down with the front of the body down; can be voluntary or forced.
During an earthquake, please lie face down under the desk.
He lay flat on the ground and didn't move.
ichidan verb, transitive verb
conceal; hide; keep secret; place in hiding
Transitive: hiding something or someone, often deliberately; can refer to troops, information, or objects.
He spoke while keeping the truth hidden.
The soldiers lay hidden in the forest, waiting.
ichidan verb, transitive verb
Transitive, often literary or dramatic: to cause someone to fall or die, sometimes in battle.
He brought down the enemy with a single blow.
ichidan verb, intransitive verb
lie down (ill); go to bed (sick); be confined to bed
Only when written 臥せる
Intransitive: lying down due to illness or to sleep; often written 臥せる in this sense.
See also: 伏せる
I was laid up with a cold for three days.
He is bedridden with illness.
Usage patterns
- 〈物〉を伏せるto place an object face down / upside down
I placed the plate face down to drain off the water.
- 顔を伏せるto lower one's face (in shame or embarrassment)
She lowered her face, looking embarrassed.
- 地面に伏せるto throw oneself flat on the ground
Gunshots rang out, and everyone dropped flat to the ground.
- 〈事〉を伏せるto keep a fact or piece of information secret
The police announced it without revealing the victim's name.
- 〈相手〉を伏せるto strike down or kill an opponent
He struck the enemy down with a single sword stroke.
- 〈病気〉で伏せるto be laid up in bed with an illness
I was laid up in bed for three days with a high fever.