忍しのぶ

し

の

ぶ

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

忍ぶ · godan verb (-bu)

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	忍しのぶ	忍しのばない
Polite	忍しのびます	忍しのびません
Past polite	忍しのびました	忍しのびませんでした
Past	忍しのんだ	忍しのばなかった
Te-form	忍しのんで	忍しのばないで
Desire	忍しのびたい	忍しのびたくない
Potential	忍しのべる	忍しのべない
Passive	忍しのばれる	忍しのばれない
Causative	忍しのばせる	忍しのばせない
Causative passive	忍しのばせられるalso 忍しのばされる	忍しのばせられないalso 忍しのばされない
Volitional	忍しのぼう
Polite volitional	忍しのびましょう
Imperative	忍しのべ	忍しのぶな
Conditional	忍しのべば	忍しのばなければ
Tara conditional	忍しのんだら	忍しのばなかったら

Pairs with忍ばせる

Meanings

godan verb (-bu), intransitive verb

hide oneself; conceal oneself

Intransitive use for hiding one's presence or body, often in a physical or figurative sense. Common in literary or poetic contexts.

彼かれは物もの陰かげに忍しのんで様よう子すをうかがった。
He hid himself in the shadows and watched the situation.

godan verb (-bu), transitive verb

endure; bear; put up with

Transitive use for enduring hardship, pain, or unpleasant situations. Often implies quiet perseverance.

彼かれはつらい仕し事ごとをじっと忍しのんでいる。
He quietly endures the tough job.
彼かの女じょは痛いたみを忍しのんで笑え顔がおを見みせた。
She bore the pain and showed a smile.

See all 63 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈場ば所しょ〉に忍しのぶto hide (oneself) in a place
忍にん者じゃは闇やみの中なかに忍しのんだ。
The ninja hid himself in the darkness.
〈事こと〉を忍しのぶto endure/bear something
彼かれは長ながい病びょう気きの苦くるしみを忍しのんだ。
He endured the suffering of a long illness.
忍しのんで〈動どう詞し〉to do something stealthily/secretly
彼かの女じょは忍しのんで部屋へやを出でた。
She slipped out of the room stealthily.

Expressions

世よを忍しのぶhide from society; keep out of the public eye
忍しのびないcannot bear to do; cannot bring oneself to do; reluctant to do
恥はじを忍しのぶendure humiliation; swallow one's pride
人ひと目めを忍しのぶavoid being seen; act secretly
見みるに忍しのびないpainful to look at; too miserable to watch

Kanji

忍endure, bear, put up with

Transitive / intransitive

忍ぶ itself is used both intransitively, as in 物陰に忍ぶ (to hide in the shadows), and transitively, as in 辛さを忍ぶ (to endure hardship).

忍しのばせる sense 1
忍ばせる is the transitive causative form meaning to make something hidden or slip something in secretly, paired with the intransitive 忍ぶ meaning to hide oneself.

Related words

耐たえるN2sense 2
耐える is the common, neutral verb for enduring hardship, while 忍ぶ adds a literary, quietly patient nuance to the same idea of endurance.
隠かくれるN4sense 1
隠れる is the everyday verb for hiding oneself, whereas 忍ぶ is more literary and stresses deliberate, stealthy concealment.
我が慢まんN3sense 2
我慢する is the plain, everyday word for putting up with something, while 忍ぶ carries a more literary, resigned tone of quiet suffering.
潜ひそむN1sense 1
潜む describes the state of lying hidden or lurking somewhere, while 忍ぶ (sense of hiding) emphasizes the deliberate act of concealing oneself, often through movement.
こらえるN2
忍ぶ is a literary word for quietly enduring hardship or emotion, while 堪える is the more common, everyday verb for holding something back.

Opposites

現あらわれるN3sense 1
現れる means to appear or show oneself, the direct opposite of 忍ぶ's sense of hiding one's presence.
屈くっする sense 2
屈する means to yield or give in under pressure, the opposite of 忍ぶ's sense of patiently enduring hardship without breaking.

Don't confuse with

偲しのぶ
偲ぶ shares the same reading as 忍ぶ but means to fondly recall or reminisce about someone, not to hide or endure.
忍しのび込こむN1
忍ぶ means to endure hardship or to conceal oneself/one's feelings, while 忍び込む specifically means to sneak into a place.
しのぶ
忍ぶ is a common verb meaning 'to endure' or 'to hide oneself', while しのぶ (忍) here is an unrelated noun naming a fern, color, or historical hairstyle that happens to share the same reading.

Word family· 24

忍しのび
stealth; sneaking · travelling incognito · ninjutsu · ninja · sneak theft; sneak thief · tolerance
忍しのび寄よる
creep up; steal up; sneak up
忍しのび込こむN1
sneak in; creep in; steal in
耐たえ忍しのぶ
endure; bear patiently; put up with
お忍しのび
travelling incognito (of a person of high rank) · special palanquin for incognito travel

Show 9 more

忍しのび刀がたな
ninja sword
忍しのび声ごえ
whispering; hushed voice
忍しのび手で
silent clap
忍しのび足あし
stealthy steps; tiptoeing
忍しのび音ね
whispering; quiet weeping
忍しのびの者もの
ninja; shinobi
忍しのびの術じゅつ
art of stealth; ninjutsu
忍しのびやか
stealthy; secret; quiet and unobtrusive
忍しのび入いる
steal into; sneak into; slip into

See all 24 in Explore →

Written forms

忍しのぶUsage94%
Standard kanji spelling for both intransitive and transitive uses.
しのぶUsage6%
Kana spelling is common in modern writing, especially for the transitive sense of enduring.

Etymology

The verb 忍ぶ (shinobu) is of native Japanese origin. The kanji 忍 carries meanings of 'endure' and 'conceal', which align with the verb's senses. The historical derivation is uncertain, but it may be related to the idea of 'bearing silently' or 'hiding one's feelings'.