盗む · godan verb (-mu)
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | 盗む | 盗まない |
| Polite | 盗みます | 盗みません |
| Past polite | 盗みました | 盗みませんでした |
| Past | 盗んだ | 盗まなかった |
| Te-form | 盗んで | 盗まないで |
| Desire | 盗みたい | 盗みたくない |
| Potential | 盗める | 盗めない |
| Passive | 盗まれる | 盗まれない |
| Causative | 盗ませる | 盗ませない |
| Causative passive | 盗ませられるalso 盗まされる | 盗ませられないalso 盗まされない |
| Volitional | 盗もう | |
| Polite volitional | 盗みましょう | |
| Imperative | 盗め | 盗むな |
| Conditional | 盗めば | 盗まなければ |
| Tara conditional | 盗んだら | 盗まなかったら |
godan verb (-mu), transitive verb
steal; take without permission
Core meaning: taking someone else's property or valuables secretly and illegally.
Someone stole my wallet.
A painting was stolen from the museum.
godan verb (-mu), transitive verb
plagiarize; steal an idea; learn by watching
Used for stealing intellectual property, copying techniques, or learning by secretly observing someone's methods. The 'watch and learn' nuance is often positive or neutral in context.
He improved by learning his senior's techniques through observation.
That article is plagiarizing text from other sites.
godan verb (-mu), transitive verb
do stealthily; do without being noticed
Often used in the phrase 目を盗んで, meaning to do something while someone isn't looking or without being noticed.
I played games without my parents noticing.
godan verb (-mu), transitive verb
do in scant time; squeeze in
Usually used in the phrase 暇を盗んで, meaning to find or make time for something despite a busy schedule.
I enjoy reading by squeezing in time during my busy schedule.
godan verb (-mu), transitive verb
steal a base
Baseball term for advancing to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball.
The runner stole second base.
The thief stole a bicycle from the house next door.
I'm writing a novel by squeezing in time from my busy work schedule.
He stole his colleague's idea and presented it as his own.
The young craftsman improved his skills by watching and learning from his master.
He stole second base.
盗む is the everyday verb for stealing secretly, while 略奪 implies open, forcible taking, often by groups.
盗む is the plain, direct verb for stealing, whereas 手を出す (in this sense) is a softer idiomatic way of saying someone took something that wasn't theirs.
sneaking a bite; snitching food
secretly taking a photo or video; sneak shot; secret recording
stealthy steps; tiptoeing
steal; take by theft
chuckle; snigger; laughing secretly
steal a glance; look furtively; take a peek
surreptitious reading; reading secretly · reading over someone's shoulder
secret audio recording; surreptitious recording