学ぶ

Japanese edit

Kanji in this term
学
まな Grade: 1
kun’yomi

Alternative spelling
學ぶ (kyūjitai)

Etymology edit

From 真似(まな) (mana, “imitating, copying”) + ぶ (-bu, “to seem like, to act like”, verb-forming suffix). Cognate with 学ぶ (manebu).^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]

The initial mana might be a phonetic shift from mane, itself the continuative or stem nominal form of classical verb 真似 (manu, “to imitate, to copy”), from 真 (ma-, “true, real”) + 似 (nu, “copy, imitate”, lower bigrade conjugation; not attested in isolation).

First cited in the Nihon Shoki of 720.^[2]

The ぶ (-bu) suffix usually conjugated with the upper bigrade pattern (上(かみ)二(に)段活用(だんかつよう) (kami nidan katsuyō)), and manabu conjugated this way until the early Heian period (early 800s). Starting from the mid-Heian (roughly the 900s or 1000s), manabu shifted to conjugate using the classical yodan pattern, the precursor to the modern godan conjugation (五段活用(ごだんかつよう) (godan katsuyō)).^[2]

Pronunciation edit

(Tokyo) まなぶ [mànábú] (Heiban – [0])^[4]^[5]^[6]
(Tokyo) まなぶ [mànáꜜbù] (Nakadaka – [2])^[4]
IPA^(key): [ma̠na̠bɯ̟ᵝ]

Tokyo pitch accent of conjugated forms of "学ぶ"

Stem forms
Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary
Terminal (終止形) Attributive (連体形)	学ぶ	まなぶ	`[mànábú]`
Imperative (命令形)	学べ	まなべ	`[mànábé]`
Key constructions
Passive	学ばれる	まなばれる	`[mànábárérú]`
Causative	学ばせる	まなばせる	`[mànábásérú]`
Potential	学べる	まなべる	`[mànábérú]`
Volitional	学ぼう	まなぼー	`[mànábóꜜò]`
Negative	学ばない	まなばない	`[mànábánáí]`
Negative perfective	学ばなかった	まなばなかった	`[mànábánáꜜkàttà]`
Formal	学びます	まなびます	`[mànábímáꜜsù]`
Perfective	学んだ	まなんだ	`[mànáńdá]`
Conjunctive	学んで	まなんで	`[mànáńdé]`
Hypothetical conditional	学べば	まなべば	`[mànábéꜜbà]`

Verb edit

学(まな)ぶ • (manabu) godan (stem 学(まな)び (manabi), past 学(まな)んだ (mananda))

[from 720] to study
地図(ちず)は私(わたし)たちが地理学(ちりがく)を学(まな)ぶ助(たす)けになる
chizu wa watashitachi ga chirigaku o manabu tasuke ni naru
A map helps us study geography
[from early 1000s] to learn (by being taught)
私(わたし)たちは英語(えいご)の読(よ)み方(かた)を学(まな)びました
watashitachi wa eigo no yomikata o manabimashita
We learned how to read English
- 1999, 2000, Front Mission 3, Square
  人類(じんるい)は何(なに)も学(まな)ばない
  jinrui wa nanimo manabanai
  Human never learns
[from late 900s] to learn (by imitating someone or something)

Conjugation edit

Conjugation of "学ぶ" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
Mizenkei ("imperfective")	学ば	まなば	manaba
Ren’yōkei ("continuative")	学び	まなび	manabi
Shūshikei ("terminal")	学ぶ	まなぶ	manabu
Rentaikei ("attributive")	学ぶ	まなぶ	manabu
Kateikei ("hypothetical")	学べ	まなべ	manabe
Meireikei ("imperative")	学べ	まなべ	manabe
Key constructions
Passive	学ばれる	まなばれる	manabareru
Causative	学ばせる学ばす	まなばせるまなばす	manabaseru manabasu
Potential	学べる	まなべる	manaberu
Volitional	学ぼう	まなぼう	manabō
Negative	学ばない	まなばない	manabanai
Negative continuative	学ばず	まなばず	manabazu
Formal	学びます	まなびます	manabimasu
Perfective	学んだ	まなんだ	mananda
Conjunctive	学んで	まなんで	manande
Hypothetical conditional	学べば	まなべば	manabeba

Middle Japanese until the early Heian period(early 800s):

Classical conjugation of "学ぶ" (バ行上二段活用, see Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Stem forms
Irrealis (未然形)	学び	まなび	manabi
Continuative (連用形)	学び	まなび	manabi
Terminal (終止形)	学ぶ	まなぶ	manabu
Attributive (連体形)	学ぶる	まなぶる	manaburu
Realis (已然形)	学ぶれ	まなぶれ	manabure
Imperative (命令形)	学びよ	まなびよ	manabiyo
Key constructions
Negative	学びず	まなびず	manabizu
Contrasting conjunction	学ぶれど	まなぶれど	manaburedo
Causal conjunction	学ぶれば	まなぶれば	manabureba
Conditional conjunction	学びば	まなびば	manabiba
Past tense (firsthand knowledge)	学びき	まなびき	manabiki
Past tense (secondhand knowledge)	学びけり	まなびけり	manabikeri
Perfect tense (conscious action)	学びつ	まなびつ	manabitu
Perfect tense (natural event)	学びぬ	まなびぬ	manabinu
Perfect-continuative tense	学びたり	まなびたり	manabitari
Volitional	学びむ	まなびむ	manabimu

Middle Japanese since the mid-Heian period (roughly the 900s or 1000s):

Classical conjugation of "学ぶ" (バ行四段活用, see Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Stem forms
Irrealis (未然形)	学ば	まなば	manaba
Continuative (連用形)	学び	まなび	manabi
Terminal (終止形)	学ぶ	まなぶ	manabu
Attributive (連体形)	学ぶ	まなぶ	manabu
Realis (已然形)	学べ	まなべ	manabe
Imperative (命令形)	学べ	まなべ	manabe
Key constructions
Negative	学ばず	まなばず	manabazu
Contrasting conjunction	学べど	まなべど	manabedo
Causal conjunction	学べば	まなべば	manabeba
Conditional conjunction	学ばば	まなばば	manababa
Past tense (firsthand knowledge)	学びき	まなびき	manabiki
Past tense (secondhand knowledge)	学びけり	まなびけり	manabikeri
Perfect tense (conscious action)	学びつ	まなびつ	manabitu
Perfect tense (natural event)	学びぬ	まなびぬ	manabinu
Perfect-continuative tense	学べり学びたり	まなべりまなびたり	manaberi manabitari
Volitional	学ばむ	まなばむ	manabamu

Synonyms edit

勉(べん)強(きょう)する (benkyō suru): (verb) study
学(がく)習(しゅう)する (gakushū suru): (verb) study; learn

References edit

^ Shinmura, Izuru, editor (1998), 広辞苑 (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 “学”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, “Nihon Kokugo Daijiten”)‎^[1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000
^ “学ぶ”, in デジタル大辞泉‎^[2] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, updated roughly every four months
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK Publishing, →ISBN

[K-1] Shinmura, Izuru, editor (1998), 広辞苑 (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN

[KDJ2-2] 2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 “学”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, “Nihon Kokugo Daijiten”)‎^[1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000

[DDJS-3] “学ぶ”, in デジタル大辞泉‎^[2] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, updated roughly every four months

[DJR-4] 4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[SMK5-5] 5.0 ^5.1 Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[NHK-6] NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK Publishing, →ISBN

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学ぶ

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