偲ぶ
偲ぶ · godan verb (-bu)
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | 偲ぶ | 偲ばない |
| Polite | 偲びます | 偲びません |
| Past polite | 偲びました | 偲びませんでした |
| Past | 偲んだ | 偲ばなかった |
| Te-form | 偲んで | 偲ばないで |
| Desire | 偲びたい | 偲びたくない |
| Potential | 偲べる | 偲べない |
| Passive | 偲ばれる | 偲ばれない |
| Causative | 偲ばせる | 偲ばせない |
| Causative passive | 偲ばせられるalso 偲ばされる | 偲ばせられないalso 偲ばされない |
| Volitional | 偲ぼう | |
| Polite volitional | 偲びましょう | |
| Imperative | 偲べ | 偲ぶな |
| Conditional | 偲べば | 偲ばなければ |
| Tara conditional | 偲んだら | 偲ばなかったら |
Meanings
godan verb (-bu), transitive verb
recollect; remember fondly; be nostalgic for
Often used for quietly or fondly recalling a person, the past, or a place no longer present; more literary or elevated than 思い出す.
The friends gathered to remember the deceased.
Looking at old photos, I reminisced about my student days.
godan verb (-bu), transitive verb
imagine; infer; guess from traces
Used when imagining or inferring what something was like from remains, signs, or circumstances; this sense is usually written in kana and has a somewhat literary feel.
From the ruins, we can imagine what life was like at the time.
From the letter, I infer the hardships she went through.
Usage patterns
- 〈人〉を偲ぶto fondly remember/honor a person (often deceased)
I wrote a letter in fond memory of my late grandfather.
- 〈物〉から〈事〉を偲ぶto infer/imagine what something was like from traces or remains
From the old photographs, I got a sense of what the old townscape used to be like.
- 昔を偲ぶto reminisce about the old days
He shed tears as he reminisced about the old days.