Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 追う | ou | [o̞ɯ̟] (narrow) |
| 追跡する | tsuiseki suru |
The verb is used to describe the physical act of chasing or following someone or something at a high speed. Related nouns include 追跡, which refers to the action of chasing or tracking and 追求, which refers to the pursuit of something more abstract.
Which one should you use?
The choice between forms depends on the nature of what is being pursued. 追う is used for physical chasing, whereas 追求する is used for pursuing abstract concepts such as an ideal, a goal or the truth. For more technical or formal contexts, such as a police officer tracking a suspect or the act of tracking a signal or data, use 追跡する.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
For example, the negative form is 追わない and the past tense is 追った. Note that the related verb oikakeru conjugates to oikakete (te-form), oikakenai (negative), oikaketa (past tense) and oikakenakatta (negative past tense).
How do you pronounce it?
ou
Did you know?
- The word 追う may be an ancient relative of 負う, which means 'to carry on the back'. Both words likely evolved from the idea of one person being positioned behind another.
- While 追う means to chase, adding a small change to create 追い越す transforms the meaning from 'chasing' to 'overtaking' or 'passing' someone in a race or in traffic.
- While 追う is a simple verb, the form 追いかける is more common in daily conversation for physical chasing. It emphasizes the repetitive action of trying to catch up to someone.
Examples in context
- 彼は犬を追いかけました。( Kare wa inu o oikakemashita. )He chased the dog.
- 彼女は彼を一生追いかけます。( Kanojo wa kare o isshō oikakemasu. )She will chase after him for her whole life.
- 犯人を追う。hannin o ou.Chase the criminal.
- 夢を追うのは大切だ。yume o ou no wa taisetsu da.It is important to pursue your dreams.
Example conversation
Himari and Ren are at a park watching a dog.
- 陽葵 Himari見て、あの子犬が蝶々を追っているよ。Mite, ano koinu ga chōchō o otte iru yo.Look, that puppy is chasing a butterfly.
- 蓮 Ren本当だ。すごく速く走っているね。Hontō da. Sugoku hayaku hashitte iru ne.You're right. It's running really fast.
- 陽葵 Himariあ、逃げられたみたい。A, nigerareta mitai.Oh, it looks like it got away.
- 蓮 Renもう一度追うつもりかな。Mō ichido ou tsumori kana.I wonder if it plans to chase it again.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “chase” translations and entries 追う, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 追う, CC BY-SA 4.0.
