JLPT N1 · な-adjective

受身 (ukemi)

受身 (うけみ, ukemi) is a Japanese な-adjective meaning “the defensive”. It appears in JLPT N1 vocabulary lists and is marked as a common word in JMdict.

Reading: うけみ
Romaji: ukemi
Word class: な-adjective
Level: JLPT N1 (unofficial)

Meaning

the defensive · noun, noun taking の, な-adjective
passive attitude; passivity; passiveness · noun, noun taking の, な-adjective
the passive; passive voice · noun, noun taking の, な-adjective
ukemi (the art of falling safely) · noun, noun taking の, な-adjective

Example sentences

どうしてそんなに受け身的なのか。仕返ししてはどうだ。

How can you be so passive? Why don't you retaliate?

Tatoeba #201539

Sentences from the Tatoeba project, linked to this word in JMdict.

Conjugation of 受身

な-adjective. Plain and polite forms below; try any other word in the Japanese verb conjugator.

Form	Japanese	Reading
Present (plain)	受身だ	うけみだ ukemida
Present (polite)	受身です	うけみです ukemidesu
Negative	受身じゃない	うけみじゃない ukemijanai
Past	受身だった	うけみだった ukemidatta
Negative past	受身じゃなかった	うけみじゃなかった ukemijanakatta
Te-form	受身で	うけみで ukemide
Before a noun	受身な	うけみな ukemina
Adverb (~ni)	受身に	うけみに ukemini

Kanji in 受身

受

accept, undergo, answer (phone)ジュ・う.ける・-う.け · 8 strokes

身

somebody, person, one's station in lifeシン・み · 7 strokes

Related words

Other vocabulary sharing a kanji with 受身.

受付うけつけreception (desk)受けるうけるto receive享受きょうじゅenjoyment (of freedom, beauty, etc.)受け取るうけとるto receive受取うけとりreceiving受験じゅけんtaking an examination (esp. for entrance to a school or university)受話器じゅわき(telephone) receiver引受るひきうけるto take on受け持つうけもつto take (be in) charge of受かるうかるto pass (examination)受持ちうけもちcharge (of something)受け入れうけいれreceiving受け継ぐうけつぐto inherit受け入れるうけいれるto accept

Source: JMdict entry 1329860 (EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0). Level: unofficial JLPT list – how levels are assigned.