真似まねる

ま

ね

る

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

真似る · ichidan verb

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	真似まねる	真似まねない
Polite	真似まねます	真似まねません
Past polite	真似まねました	真似まねませんでした
Past	真似まねた	真似まねなかった
Te-form	真似まねて	真似まねないで
Desire	真似まねたい	真似まねたくない
Potential	真似まねられるalso 真似まねれる	真似まねられないalso 真似まねれない
Passive	真似まねられる	真似まねられない
Causative	真似まねさせる	真似まねさせない
Causative passive	真似まねさせられる	真似まねさせられない
Volitional	真似まねよう
Polite volitional	真似まねましょう
Imperative	真似まねろ	真似まねるな
Conditional	真似まねれば	真似まねなければ
Tara conditional	真似まねたら	真似まねなかったら

Meanings

ichidan verb, transitive verb

mimic; imitate; copy

General verb for copying someone's actions, speech, or style. Can be neutral, playful, or slightly negative depending on context.

彼かれは先せん生せいの話はなし方かたを真似まねるのが上手じょうずだ。
He is good at imitating the teacher's way of speaking.
弟おとうとはいつも私わたしの真似まねをする。
My younger brother always copies me.

See all 38 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉〉の〈事こと〉〉を真似まねるto imitate someone's way of doing something (speech, gestures, style)
弟おとうとはいつも兄あにの話はなし方かたを真似まねる。
My younger brother always imitates the way his older brother talks.
〈動物どうぶつ〉〉の鳴なき声ごえを真似まねるto imitate an animal's cry or sound
その子こは猫ねこの鳴なき声ごえを上手じょうずに真似まねた。
The child skillfully imitated a cat's meow.
〈人ひと〉〉の真似まねをして〈動詞どうし〉〉to do something in imitation of someone else
有ゆう名めい選せん手しゅの真似まねをしてバットを振ふってみた。
I swung the bat in imitation of a famous player.

Expressions

馬ば鹿かな真似まねtomfoolery; monkey business; stupid act

Kanji

真true, reality, Buddhist sect
似becoming, resemble, counterfeit

Related words· 7

模も倣ほうN1
模倣する is a formal, often academic or legal term for copying, while 真似る is the everyday word for imitating someone's actions or speech.
似にせるN1
似せる focuses on making something resemble an original (often an object or appearance), whereas 真似る centers on copying a person's behavior or manner.
パクる
パクる is slangy and implies stealing an idea or work outright, while 真似る is neutral and can describe innocent or playful imitation.
ならうN2
真似る means to copy an action or appearance, often superficially, while 倣う implies more respectfully following an established model or precedent.

Show 3 more

なぞる
真似る is a general word for imitating behavior or appearance, while なぞる emphasizes physically tracing or reproducing a fixed model or line without deviation.
見み習ならうN2
真似る is a neutral or even negative word for mere mimicry, whereas 見習う implies respectfully learning from a good example.
写うつすN4
真似る means to imitate someone's behavior or manner, while 写す in its imitate sense means to reproduce a model exactly, as in tracing or copying a text.

Don't confuse with

見み習ならうN2
見習う means to learn from someone's good example with respect, while 真似る is a neutral-to-negative act of copying that can lack real understanding.

Word family· 10

真似まねN3
imitation; copying; mimicry · behavior; conduct; action
物ものまねN1
imitation; impersonation; mimicry
真似まね事ごと
imitation; copy; make-believe; sham · superficial resemblance; mere semblance
猿真似さるまね
indiscriminate imitation; monkey see, monkey do; blind follower
口くち真似まね
mimicking someone's speech; imitating someone's way of speaking

Show 5 more

手て真似まね
gesture; hand signal; sign
まねし
copycat; imitator
マネシツグミ
mockingbird
真似まねっこ
imitating; copying; mimicking
真似まねしんぼ
copycat

Written forms

真似まねるUsage60%
Standard kanji spelling; the only kanji form.
まねるUsage40%
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially when the kanji 真似 is not needed.

Etymology

Derived from the noun 真似 (まね, 'imitation') with the verb-forming suffix る. The kanji 真似 are ateji (phonetic equivalents) and do not contribute to the meaning.