JLPT N4 · Verb

捕まえる (tsukamaeru)

捕まえる (つかまえる, tsukamaeru) is a Japanese verb meaning “to catch; to capture”. It appears in JLPT N4 vocabulary lists and is marked as a common word in JMdict.

Reading
つかまえる
Romaji
tsukamaeru
Word class
Ichidan verb (る-verb)
Level
JLPT N4 (unofficial)

Meaning

  1. to catch; to capture; to arrest; to seize; to restrain · ichidan verb, transitive
  2. to grab; to clutch; to grasp; to seize; to hold on to · ichidan verb, transitive
  3. to catch hold of (someone); to stop (e.g. a stranger in the street); to hail (a taxi, waiter, etc.); to hold (someone) back; to detain · ichidan verb, transitive
  4. towards (someone); at (someone); in (someone's) face · ichidan verb, transitive · as 〜をつかまえて

Example sentences

警察が容疑者を捕まえた。
The policeman got the suspect.
その男は少年の手をつかまえた。
The man took the boy by the hand.
ここでタクシーをつかまえられますか。
Can I catch a taxi here?

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

Conjugation of 捕まえる

Ichidan verb (る-verb). Plain and polite forms below; try any other word in the Japanese verb conjugator.

FormJapaneseReading
Dictionary捕まえるつかまえる tsukamaeru
Polite (~masu)捕まえますつかまえます tsukamaemasu
Negative捕まえないつかまえない tsukamaenai
Polite negative捕まえませんつかまえません tsukamaemasen
Past捕まえたつかまえた tsukamaeta
Polite past捕まえましたつかまえました tsukamaemashita
Negative past捕まえなかったつかまえなかった tsukamaenakatta
Te-form捕まえてつかまえて tsukamaete
Potential捕まえられるつかまえられる tsukamaerareru
Passive捕まえられるつかまえられる tsukamaerareru
Causative捕まえさせるつかまえさせる tsukamaesaseru
Volitional捕まえようつかまえよう tsukamaeyou
Imperative捕まえろつかまえろ tsukamaero
Conditional (~ba)捕まえればつかまえれば tsukamaereba

Kanji in 捕まえる

Related words

Other vocabulary sharing a kanji with 捕まえる.

Source: JMdict entry 1597780 (EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0). Level: unofficial JLPT list – how levels are assigned.