助じょ動どう詞し

じょ

ど

う

し

JLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

noun

inflecting dependent word; bound auxiliary

grammar

In Japanese grammar, a class of inflecting words that attach to other words and add grammatical functions such as tense, voice, aspect, or modality. Examples include れる, られる, せる, させる, たい, ない, だ, です, ます, た.

日本にほん語ごの「れる」「られる」は助じょ動どう詞しに分ぶん類るいされる。
In Japanese, れる and られる are classified as auxiliary verbs (助動詞).

noun

auxiliary verb (non-Japanese)

grammar

Used in linguistics to refer to auxiliary verbs in languages other than Japanese, such as English 'can', 'will', or 'have'.

英えい語ごには助じょ動どう詞しがいくつもある。
English has many auxiliary verbs.

See all 20 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈動どう詞し〉に助じょ動どう詞しが付つくan auxiliary attaches to a verb
「食たべたい」の「たい」は動どう詞しに付つく助じょ動どう詞しです。
The たい in 食べたい is an auxiliary that attaches to a verb.
助じょ動どう詞しを活かつ用ようさせるto conjugate an auxiliary verb
助じょ動どう詞し「ない」を活かつ用ようさせて否ひ定てい形けいを作つくる。
You conjugate the auxiliary ない to form the negative.

Kanji

助help, rescue, assist
動move, motion, change
詞part of speech, words, poetry

Don't confuse with

動どう詞しN3sense 1
動詞 is a main verb that can stand alone as a predicate, while 助動詞 is a dependent word that must attach to another word and cannot form a predicate by itself.
補ほ助じょ動どう詞し sense 1
補助動詞 are ordinary verbs like いる or おく that lose their literal meaning when following a te-form, whereas 助動詞 is a distinct morphological class of inflecting words attached directly to stems.
助じょ詞しN1
助詞 are particles that mark grammatical relations (が, を, に), while 助動詞 are auxiliary verbs that attach to words to add meaning like tense or politeness (だ, です, た).

Word family

法ほう助じょ動どう詞し
modal auxiliary verb
主しゅ語ご助じょ動どう詞し倒とう置ち
subject-auxiliary inversion

Built from

助じょ+動どう詞し

Etymology

Compound of 助 (jo, 'help, assist') and 動詞 (dōshi, 'verb'), literally 'helping verb'. The term was coined in Japanese linguistics to describe inflecting dependent words.