おんぶ

お

ん

ぶ

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

おんぶする · noun or participle which takes 'suru'

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	おんぶする	おんぶしない
Polite	おんぶします	おんぶしません
Past polite	おんぶしました	おんぶしませんでした
Past	おんぶした	おんぶしなかった
Te-form	おんぶして	おんぶしないで
Desire	おんぶしたい	おんぶしたくない
Potential	おんぶできる	おんぶできない
Passive	おんぶされる	おんぶされない
Causative	おんぶさせる	おんぶさせない
Causative passive	おんぶさせられる	おんぶさせられない
Volitional	おんぶしよう
Polite volitional	おんぶしましょう
Imperative	おんぶしろ	おんぶするな
Conditional	おんぶすれば	おんぶしなければ
Tara conditional	おんぶしたら	おんぶしなかったら

Meanings

noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', transitive verb, intransitive verb

carrying on one's back; piggyback ride

usually written using kana alone

Typically refers to carrying a child on one's back. Can be used as a noun or with する.

疲つかれた子こ供どもをおんぶして家いえに帰かえった。
I carried my tired child home on my back.
おんぶしてもらいたいと弟おとうとがせがんだ。
My little brother begged me to give him a piggyback ride.

noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', intransitive verb

relying on; being dependent on

usually written using kana alone

Figurative use: depending heavily on someone else, often financially or for support. Used with する.

彼かれはいつも親おやにおんぶしている。
He is always relying on his parents.
会かい社しゃの資し金きん繰ぐりを銀ぎん行こうにおんぶするわけにはいかない。
We can't just depend on the bank for the company's cash flow.

See all 19 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉をおんぶするto carry someone (usually a child) on one's back
母はは親おやは赤あかちゃんをおんぶして買かい物ものに行いった。
The mother carried her baby on her back and went shopping.
〈人ひと〉におんぶするto rely entirely on someone
彼かれはいつも親おやにおんぶしている。
He always relies completely on his parents.
〈人ひと〉におんぶされるto be carried piggyback by someone
子こ供どもは父ちち親おやにおんぶされて眠ねむってしまった。
The child fell asleep while being carried on his father's back.

Kanji

負defeat, negative, -

Transitive / intransitive

おんぶ (as する) can be used transitively, taking a direct object (子供をおんぶする, "to carry a child on one's back"), or intransitively describing the state of being dependent (親におんぶする, "to rely on one's parents").

Related words

依い存ぞんN2sense 2
依存 is the formal, technical word for dependence, while おんぶ is a casual, image-based metaphor for relying on someone.
背せ負おうN2sense 1
背負う is the plain verb for carrying something on one's back, while おんぶ is a softer, child-oriented noun/する-word usually used for piggybacking a person.
頼たよるN3sense 2
頼る is a general verb meaning to rely on someone or something, while おんぶ (used with する) specifically evokes leaning on someone as if being carried.
おぶうN2
おんぶ is the noun for a piggyback ride, typically used with する, whereas 負ぶう is the plain verb form that is now less common in everyday speech.

Don't confuse with

抱だっこN3sense 1
だっこ means carrying someone (usually a child) in one's arms facing you, while おんぶ means carrying them on your back.

Counted with

回かいN4
counter for occurrences; times · time; instance; occasion · inning (baseball); round; game · episode; chapter; installment · Hui (people) · Islam

Written forms

おんぶUsage89%
Standard kana spelling; the word is usually written in kana.
オンブUsage9%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling, sometimes used for emphasis or in casual writing.
負おんぶUsage2%
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form; it is rarely used.

Etymology

The origin is uncertain, but it is likely a mimetic word related to the sound or action of carrying on the back. The kanji 負 (carry on the back) is used in the rare kanji form.