# 泣く
## Japanese

* Kanji in this term
* 泣
* な Grade: 4
* kun'yomi
* Alternative spelling
* 哭く

### Etymology

From Old Japanese, derived from 音 (na, “(emotional) sound, voice”, bound form) + く (-ku, verb suffix). Cognate with 鳴(な)く (naku).

### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) なく [nàkú] (Heiban – [0])
* IPA: [na̠kɯ̟]
* Tokyo pitch accent of conjugated forms of 「泣く」
Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary :
| Stem forms ||||
| Terminal (終止形) Attributive (連体形) | 泣く | なく | [nàkú] |
| Imperative (命令形) | 泣け | なけ | [nàké] |
| Key constructions ||||
| Passive | 泣かれる | なかれる | [nàkárérú] |
| Causative | 泣かせる | なかせる | [nàkásérú] |
| Potential | 泣ける | なける | [nàkérú] |
| Volitional | 泣こう | なこー | [nàkóꜜò] |
| Negative | 泣かない | なかない | [nàkánáí] |
| Negative perfective | 泣かなかった | なかなかった | [nàkánáꜜkàttà] |
| Formal | 泣きます | なきます | [nàkímáꜜsù] |
| Perfective | 泣いた | ないた | [nàítá] |
| Conjunctive | 泣いて | ないて | [nàíté] |
| Hypothetical conditional | 泣けば | なけば | [nàkéꜜbà] |

### Verb

泣(な)く • (naku) godan (stem 泣(な)き (naki), past 泣(な)いた (naita))
* (intransitive) to cry; to weep; to sob
** Rumiko Takahashi, “ＰＡＲＴ(パート).８(はち)　格(かく)闘(とう)演(えん)芸(げい)会(かい) [Part 8: Fighting Show]”, in らんま½ [Ranma ½], volume 5 (fiction), Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN, page 137:
    て、天(てん)道(どう)あかねっ‼なんてことをするんだっ‼泣(な)くんじゃないっ‼
       Te, Tendō Akane'‼ Nan te koto o suru n da'‼
       Te— Tendō Akane!! How could you!?
       Naku n ja nai'‼
       Quit wailing, will you!?
** 2005 November 9, Nobuhiro Watsuki, “武(ブ)装(ソウ)錬(レン)金(キン)ファイナル [Armed Alchemy: The Final Act]”, in 武(ブ)装(ソウ)錬(レン)金(キン) [Armed Alchemy], volume 9 (fiction), Tokyo: Shueisha, →ISBN, page 180:
    バカヤロオォ‼許(ゆる)さねぇぞ　武(む)藤(とう)ォ！よくも先(せん)輩(ぱい)を泣(な)かせやがって…‼
       Baka yarōo‼ Yurusanē zo Mutōo! Yoku mo senpai o nakaseyagatte…‼
       Bastard!! I won’t forgive you, Mutō! How dare you make senpai cry…!!
* (intransitive) to howl
* (transitive) to grieve over something

#### Conjugation

Katsuyōkei ("stem forms") :
| Mizenkei ("imperfective") | 泣か | なか | naka |
| Ren’yōkei ("continuative") | 泣き | なき | naki |
| Shūshikei ("terminal") | 泣く | なく | naku |
| Rentaikei ("attributive") | 泣く | なく | naku |
| Kateikei ("hypothetical") | 泣け | なけ | nake |
| Meireikei ("imperative") | 泣け | なけ | nake |
| Key constructions ||||
| Passive | 泣かれる | なかれる | nakareru |
| Causative | 泣かせる 泣かす | なかせる なかす | nakaseru nakasu |
| Potential | 泣ける | なける | nakeru |
| Volitional | 泣こう | なこう | nakō |
| Negative | 泣かない | なかない | nakanai |
| Negative continuative | 泣かず | なかず | nakazu |
| Formal | 泣きます | なきます | nakimasu |
| Perfective | 泣いた | ないた | naita |
| Conjunctive | 泣いて | ないて | naite |
| Hypothetical conditional | 泣けば | なけば | nakeba |
Stem forms :
| Irrealis (未然形) | 泣か | なか | naka |
| Continuative (連用形) | 泣き | なき | naki |
| Terminal (終止形) | 泣く | なく | naku |
| Attributive (連体形) | 泣く | なく | naku |
| Realis (已然形) | 泣け | なけ | nake |
| Imperative (命令形) | 泣け | なけ | nake |
| Key constructions ||||
| Negative | 泣かず | なかず | nakazu |
| Contrasting conjunction | 泣けど | なけど | nakedo |
| Causal conjunction | 泣けば | なけば | nakeba |
| Conditional conjunction | 泣かば | なかば | nakaba |
| Past tense (firsthand knowledge) | 泣きき | なきき | nakiki |
| Past tense (secondhand knowledge) | 泣きけり | なきけり | nakikeri |
| Perfect tense (conscious action) | 泣きつ | なきつ | nakitu |
| Perfect tense (natural event) | 泣きぬ | なきぬ | nakinu |
| Perfect-continuative tense | 泣けり 泣きたり | なけり なきたり | nakeri nakitari |
| Volitional | 泣かむ | なかむ | nakamu |

#### Derived terms

* 泣(な)き (naki)
* 鳴(な)く (naku), 啼(な)く (naku)
* 泣(な)く泣(な)く (nakunaku, “tearfully, in tears, weeping, crying”)
* しくしく泣(な)く (shikushikunaku, “sob, weep”)
* すすり泣(な)く, 啜(すす)り泣(な)く, 啜(すす)りなく (susuri-naku, “sob”)
* 一(いっ)銭(せん)を笑(わら)う者(もの)は一(いっ)銭(せん)に泣(な)く (issen o warau mono wa issen ni naku, “take care of the penny”)
* 名(な)が泣(な)く (naganaku): of a restaurant or a public person, to not be worthy of some reputation
* 咽(むせ)び泣(な)く (musebinaku, “sob, be choked with tears”)
* 忍(しの)び泣(な)く (shinobi-naku, “shed silent tears”)
* 泣(な)く子(こ)と地(じ)頭(とう)には勝(か)てぬ (nakuko to jitō ni wa katenu): you can't fight City Hall, you cannot win against someone who doesn't listen to reason
* 蚊(か)の泣(な)くような声(こえ) (ka no naku yō na koe, “very thin voice”)

### See also

* 涙(なみだ) (namida)
* いさつ (isatsu)
* いさちる (isachiru)

### References

* 1 2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
* 2002, Ineko Kondō; Fumi Takano; Mary E Althaus; et. al., Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary, Third Edition, Tokyo: Shōgakukan, →ISBN.
* Kitahara, Yasuo, editor (2002), 明鏡国語辞典 [Meikyō Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Taishūkan Shoten, →ISBN