Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.
彷徨う (さまよう) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Common word› JLPT N1 › Freq. Frequency Top 50,000 Conjugation 彷徨う · godan verb (-u)
Form Positive Negative Dictionary 彷徨さまよ う 彷徨さまよ わない Polite 彷徨さまよ います 彷徨さまよ いません Past polite 彷徨さまよ いました 彷徨さまよ いませんでした Past 彷徨さまよ った 彷徨さまよ わなかった Te-form 彷徨さまよ って 彷徨さまよ わないで Desire 彷徨さまよ いたい 彷徨さまよ いたくない Potential 彷徨さまよ える 彷徨さまよ えない Passive 彷徨さまよ われる 彷徨さまよ われない Causative 彷徨さまよ わせる 彷徨さまよ わせない Causative passive 彷徨さまよ わせられる also 彷徨さまよ わされる 彷徨さまよ わせられない also 彷徨さまよ わされない Volitional 彷徨さまよ おう Polite volitional 彷徨さまよ いましょう Imperative 彷徨さまよ え 彷徨さまよ うな Conditional 彷徨さまよ えば 彷徨さまよ わなければ Tara conditional 彷徨さまよ ったら 彷徨さまよ わなかったら
Report an issue with this page
I wandered around the city at night.
Usage patterns 〈 場所ばしょ〉 〉 を 彷徨さまよ う to wander around <place>
I wandered alone through the forest.
生死せいし の 間あいだ を 彷徨さまよ う to hover between life and death
He hovered between life and death for a week.
〈 事こと〉 〉 を 求もと めて 彷徨さまよ う to wander in search of <something>
He wandered around searching for an answer.
Kanji 迷 astray, be perplexed, in doubt Related words· 8 徘徊する is a more formal/clinical term for wandering aimlessly (often used of dementia patients or police reports), while 彷徨う has a broader, more literary or emotional nuance.
放浪する implies a longer-term, often lifestyle-level drifting or vagrancy, whereas 彷徨う can describe a single instance of aimless wandering, physical or mental.
うろつく is a casual, often slightly negative word for loitering or hanging around a small area, while 彷徨う is more literary and can cover long distances or abstract wandering.
歩き回る emphasizes walking around actively, often with a purpose or to cover an area, while 彷徨う implies aimlessness or being lost.
Show 4 more 迷う focuses on being lost or indecisive in a specific situation, while 彷徨う describes the act of wandering itself, often over a longer period or distance.
彷徨う has a literary, poetic feel for wandering aimlessly, whereas 迷走 is more neutral and commonly used for both physical courses and figurative situations like negotiations.
さまよう is the plain, direct verb for wandering or being lost, while 漂う sounds more literary and descriptive when used of a person.
Written forms 彷徨さまよ う Usage 16%
Standard kanji form; it is the primary kanji spelling.
さまよう Usage 77%
It is usually written in kana; this is the most common practical spelling.
さ 迷まよ う Usage 8%
Alternate kanji form; less common than 彷徨う.
Etymology A native verb continuing classical さまよふ, “wander about” or “be irresolute.” The spelling 彷徨う uses the Chinese compound 彷徨, which likewise means “wander,” for its sense.
彷ほう 徨こう
さ迷う is the common, everyday verb for wandering, whereas 彷徨 is a more literary noun/verb used in written or formal contexts.
