書く (kaku)
書く (かく, kaku) is a Japanese verb meaning “to write; to compose”. It appears in JLPT N5 vocabulary lists and is marked as a common word in JMdict.
- Reading
- かく
- Romaji
- kaku
- Word class
- Godan verb (う-verb) ending in く
- Level
- JLPT N5 (unofficial)
Meaning
- to write; to compose; to pen · godan verb, transitive
- to draw; to paint · godan verb, transitive
Example sentences
Sentences from the Tatoeba project, linked to this word in JMdict.
Conjugation of 書く
Godan verb (う-verb) ending in く. Plain and polite forms below; try any other word in the Japanese verb conjugator.
| Form | Japanese | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | 書く | かく kaku |
| Polite (~masu) | 書きます | かきます kakimasu |
| Negative | 書かない | かかない kakanai |
| Polite negative | 書きません | かきません kakimasen |
| Past | 書いた | かいた kaita |
| Polite past | 書きました | かきました kakimashita |
| Negative past | 書かなかった | かかなかった kakanakatta |
| Te-form | 書いて | かいて kaite |
| Potential | 書ける | かける kakeru |
| Passive | 書かれる | かかれる kakareru |
| Causative | 書かせる | かかせる kakaseru |
| Volitional | 書こう | かこう kakou |
| Imperative | 書け | かけ kake |
| Conditional (~ba) | 書けば | かけば kakeba |
Kanji in 書く
Related words
Other vocabulary sharing a kanji with 書く.
辞書じしょdictionary葉書はがきpostcard図書館としょかんlibrary書斎しょさいstudy書物しょもつbook書類しょるいdocument読書どくしょreading (books)図書としょbooks教科書きょうかしょtextbook書留かきとめregistered mail書取かきとりwriting down from other written material書籍しょせきbook書店しょてんbookshop書道しょどうcalligraphy (esp. Asian calligraphy based on Chinese characters)
Source: JMdict entry 1343950 (EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0). Level: unofficial JLPT list – how levels are assigned.