掴む · godan verb (-mu)
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | 掴む | 掴まない |
| Polite | 掴みます | 掴みません |
| Past polite | 掴みました | 掴みませんでした |
| Past | 掴んだ | 掴まなかった |
| Te-form | 掴んで | 掴まないで |
| Desire | 掴みたい | 掴みたくない |
| Potential | 掴める | 掴めない |
| Passive | 掴まれる | 掴まれない |
| Causative | 掴ませる | 掴ませない |
| Causative passive | 掴ませられるalso 掴まされる | 掴ませられないalso 掴まされない |
| Volitional | 掴もう | |
| Polite volitional | 掴みましょう | |
| Imperative | 掴め | 掴むな |
| Conditional | 掴めば | 掴まなければ |
| Tara conditional | 掴んだら | 掴まなかったら |
godan verb (-mu), transitive verb
grab; grasp; seize; catch hold of
Physical action of taking hold of something with the hand. Covers grabbing, gripping, clutching, and catching.
彼は私の手を強く掴んだ。
He grabbed my hand tightly.
チャンスを掴むのは今だ。
Now is the time to seize the opportunity.
godan verb (-mu), transitive verb
obtain; acquire; get; win; capture
Metaphorical extension: to obtain something desirable, such as information, evidence, a prize, or a victory.
確かな証拠を掴んだ。
We obtained solid evidence.
彼はついに優勝を掴んだ。
He finally captured the championship.
godan verb (-mu), transitive verb
Figurative use: to grasp a concept, situation, or someone's feelings. Often used with abstract nouns like 要点, 気持ち, 意味.
話の要点を掴んでください。
Please grasp the main point of the story.
彼の気持ちを掴むのは難しい。
It's hard to understand his feelings.
He grabbed her hand in surprise.
She seized this opportunity and succeeded.
I'm good at grasping the main point of a talk.
Grip the rope firmly so you don't fall.
That smile won everyone's heart.
理解する is the plain, formal verb for understanding, while 掴む is more colloquial and vivid, suggesting a sudden grasp of the point or feeling.
捕まえる is used for catching a person or animal (often with the idea of capturing them), while 掴む is more general and applies to objects or abstract things too.
snatch; grab
grasp; seize; grab hold of
Rarely used kanji form.
Search-only kanji form; not recommended for active use.