Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.
かしこまる Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Freq. Frequency Top 20,000 Conjugation かしこまる · godan verb (-ru)
Form Positive Negative Dictionary かしこまる かしこまらない Polite かしこまります かしこまりません Past polite かしこまりました かしこまりませんでした Past かしこまった かしこまらなかった Te-form かしこまって かしこまらないで Desire かしこまりたい かしこまりたくない Potential かしこまれる かしこまれない Passive かしこまられる かしこまられない Causative かしこまらせる かしこまらせない Causative passive かしこまらせられる also かしこまらされる かしこまらせられない also かしこまらされない Volitional かしこまろう Polite volitional かしこまりましょう Imperative かしこまれ かしこまるな Conditional かしこまれば かしこまらなければ Tara conditional かしこまったら かしこまらなかったら
Report an issue with this page
た
。
I sat up straight and listened to the department head respectfully.
Usage patterns 〈 人ひと 〉 の 前まえ でかしこまる to sit or behave stiffly and respectfully in front of someone
He sat stiffly and respectfully in front of his boss.
かしこまって 〈 動どう 詞し 〉 to do something in a formal, stiffly polite manner
The new employee greeted everyone in a stiffly polite manner.
Expressions かしこまりました certainly; very well; understood Kanji 畏 fear, majestic, graciously Related words 恐縮する expresses feeling apologetically grateful or embarrassed by someone's kindness, while 畏まる describes physically or verbally taking a stiffly formal, respectful posture.
承知する is the standard humble way to say 'I understand and will comply' in business Japanese, while 畏まる (as in かしこまりました) is an even more old-fashioned, deferential version of the same acknowledgment.
謹む means to be discreet, refrain, or show respect through careful behavior, often used in written apologies, while 畏まる focuses more on stiff, respectful posture or attitude.
畏まる emphasizes a deferential, respectful attitude toward someone of higher status, while 改まる simply describes speech or manner becoming stiffly formal in a given situation.
Written forms かしこまる Usage 89%
Usually written in kana; the kanji spelling 畏まる is rare and may not be recognized by all readers.
畏かしこ まる Usage 11%
Kanji form is uncommon; learners should use the kana spelling.
Etymology Derived from 畏 (kashiko, 'awe, reverence') + まる (-maru, verb-forming suffix). The exact historical development is uncertain, but it has long been used to express respectful, formal behavior.