振り返る · godan verb (-ru)
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | 振り返る | 振り返らない |
| Polite | 振り返ります | 振り返りません |
| Past polite | 振り返りました | 振り返りませんでした |
| Past | 振り返った | 振り返らなかった |
| Te-form | 振り返って | 振り返らないで |
| Desire | 振り返りたい | 振り返りたくない |
| Potential | 振り返れる | 振り返れない |
| Passive | 振り返られる | 振り返られない |
| Causative | 振り返らせる | 振り返らせない |
| Causative passive | 振り返らせられるalso 振り返らされる | 振り返らせられないalso 振り返らされない |
| Volitional | 振り返ろう | |
| Polite volitional | 振り返りましょう | |
| Imperative | 振り返れ | 振り返るな |
| Conditional | 振り返れば | 振り返らなければ |
| Tara conditional | 振り返ったら | 振り返らなかったら |
godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb, transitive verb
turn around; look back; look over one's shoulder
Physical action of turning one's head or body to look behind. Can be intransitive or transitive (e.g., 振り返って見る).
When someone called my name from behind, I turned around without thinking.
彼は一度だけ肩越しに振り返って、手を振った。
He looked back over his shoulder just once and waved.
godan verb (-ru), transitive verb
look back on; reflect on; reminisce about
Metaphorical use: recalling or reflecting on past events, often with a sense of nostalgia or evaluation. Commonly used with ～を振り返る.
今年一年を振り返って、いろいろなことがあったなと思う。
Looking back on this past year, I realize a lot has happened.
彼女は青春時代を振り返りながら、微笑んだ。
She smiled while reminiscing about her youth.
He turned around when his name was called.
She looked back on her school days.
Looking back on it, that decision was the right one.
It's a tradition to look back on the year at year's end.
振り返る means to look back on one's past in general (often life or experiences), whereas 思い返す focuses on reconsidering a specific memory or decision.
振り返る means to look back on past events or experiences, whereas 見つめ直す focuses on reassessing one's current self or values with fresh eyes.
振り返る means to look back on one's past in a broad, reflective sense, while 思い起こす is about actively recalling a specific memory or detail.
振り返る is the common verb for physically turning around to look back, while 見返り is the noun form used for a backward-looking pose or, more often, a reward received in exchange for something.
Search-only variant; not a standard written form.
Search-only variant; not a standard written form.