泣く
naku[na̠kɯ̟]
The Japanese word for 'to cry' is 泣く (naku).
泣く is the most common and general verb used to mean 'to cry' (to shed tears).
Meaning: intransitive: to shed tears (verb)
Which one should you use?
While 泣く is used for humans shedding tears, the homophone 鳴く is used for animals making sounds.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To describe the ongoing action of someone currently crying, use the continuous form 泣いている instead of the simple form 泣く. The past tense of 泣く is 泣いた.
How do you pronounce it?
naku
Did you know?
- There is a specific expression 泣き言を言う which means 'to complain' or 'to whine', though it literally translates to 'saying crying words'.
- The word 泣く is an etymological relative of the word for 'sound' 音, suggesting that in ancient Japan 'crying' was defined more by the noise made than the tears shed.
- The homophone 鳴く is used for animals, but it is also used for the 'cry' of an insect, such as the cicada, which is a powerful seasonal symbol of summer in Japanese literature.
Examples in context
- 泣くもんか。I won't cry.Tatoeba #3507336 by arnab, translation #2549820 by CK
- 外で泣くな。Don't cry in public.Tatoeba #7947514 by Ninja, translation #7937846 by CK
- どんな映画で泣く？What types of movies make you cry?Tatoeba #10455345 by small_snow, translation #10450996 by CK
- 彼女は悲しみで泣きました。She cried because of sadness.
- 彼は感動して涙を流しました。He was moved to tears.
- 昨日の映画、めっちゃ泣いた！I cried a lot during yesterday's movie!
- 彼は悲しみに泣きじゃくった。He sobbed in sadness.
- 29 more sentences on Tatoeba
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cry” translations and entries 泣く, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 泣く, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
