暴あばく

あ

ば

く

Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

暴く · godan verb (-ku)

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	暴あばく	暴あばかない
Polite	暴あばきます	暴あばきません
Past polite	暴あばきました	暴あばきませんでした
Past	暴あばいた	暴あばかなかった
Te-form	暴あばいて	暴あばかないで
Desire	暴あばきたい	暴あばきたくない
Potential	暴あばける	暴あばけない
Passive	暴あばかれる	暴あばかれない
Causative	暴あばかせる	暴あばかせない
Causative passive	暴あばかせられるalso 暴あばかされる	暴あばかせられないalso 暴あばかされない
Volitional	暴あばこう
Polite volitional	暴あばきましょう
Imperative	暴あばけ	暴あばくな
Conditional	暴あばけば	暴あばかなければ
Tara conditional	暴あばいたら	暴あばかなかったら

Meanings

godan verb (-ku), transitive verb

expose; disclose; reveal

Used for bringing hidden facts, secrets, scandals, or wrongdoing to light. Often has a confrontational or investigative nuance.

記き者しゃは政せい治じ家かの汚お職しょくを暴あばいた。
The journalist exposed the politician's corruption.
彼かれはついに秘ひ密みつを暴あばかれた。
His secret was finally revealed.

godan verb (-ku), transitive verb

open up; dig out; unearth

Specifically used for physically opening a grave or digging something out. Less common than the figurative sense.

考こう古こ学がく者しゃが古こ墳ふんを暴あばいた。
The archaeologist opened the ancient tomb.

See all 52 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉の正しょう体たいを暴あばくto expose someone's true identity
記き者しゃはその政せい治じ家かの正しょう体たいを暴あばいた。
The reporter exposed the politician's true identity.
墓はかを暴あばくto dig up a grave
盗とう掘くつ者しゃたちは古ふるい墓はかを暴あばいた。
The grave robbers dug up the old grave.
陰いん謀ぼうを暴あばくto expose a conspiracy
彼かれらは政せい府ふの陰いん謀ぼうを暴あばいた。
They exposed the government's conspiracy.
秘ひ密みつを暴あばくto expose a secret
探たん偵ていは彼かの女じょの秘ひ密みつを暴あばいた。
The detective exposed her secret.

Kanji

暴outburst, rave, fret
発departure, discharge, publish
曝bleach, refine, expose

Related words

暴ばく露ろN1sense 1
暴露 is a noun/suru-verb meaning the exposure or disclosure of secrets, while 暴く is a transitive verb emphasizing the active act of digging up and forcibly revealing hidden information.
明あかすN1sense 1
明かす means to reveal or disclose in a general sense, such as telling a story or revealing one's identity, while 暴く specifically implies uncovering something hidden, often wrongdoing, with a confrontational nuance.
発はっ掘くつN1sense 2
発掘する means to excavate or unearth, typically used for archaeological finds, while 暴く (sense 2) refers to digging up something deliberately concealed, such as a grave, often with negative connotations.
見み破やぶる
暴く means to publicly expose a hidden secret or wrongdoing, whereas 見破る describes the personal realization of seeing through deception.

Opposites

隠かくすN3sense 1
隠す means to hide or conceal something, the direct opposite of 暴く, which means to expose or bring it to light.

Don't confuse with

暴あばれるN3
暴れる looks and sounds similar to 暴く because they share the kanji 暴, but 暴れる means to act violently or rampage, which is unrelated to exposing hidden facts.

Word family

暴あばき出だす
dig up and expose; uncover; bring to light
暴あばき立たてる
dig up; expose; uncover; unearth

Written forms

暴あばくUsage67%
Standard kanji spelling for exposing secrets, wrongdoing, or hidden truths.
あばくUsage27%
発あばくUsage5%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.
曝あばくUsage1%
search-only kanji form
Search-only kanji form; not commonly used in modern writing.

Etymology

The kanji 暴 carries meanings of 'outburst', 'violence', and 'expose'. The reading あばく is a native Japanese verb. The historical derivation is uncertain, but the word has long been used for uncovering hidden things.