- Basic forms
- 試みる — to try, to attempt / base form
- 試みます — polite / I try / masu form
- 試みた — past / tried / attempted / ta form
- 試みて — te-form / try (and…) / linking or request
- 試みない — negative / don’t try / negative form
- 試みれば — if (I) try / conditional
- 試みろ・試みよ — try it! / imperative
- Other common forms
- 試みたい — want to try / 〜たい form
- 試みられる — can try / be attempted / potential / passive
- 試みられた — was tried / was attempted (past)
- 試みられない — can’t try / can’t be attempted
- More
- 試みよう — let’s try / 〜よう form
- 試みなかった — didn’t try / negative past
- 試みている — trying / attempting right now / progressive
試みる (こころみる) is an ichidan (る-verb). Drop る and add endings like ます, た, て, ない. It’s a formal or written way to say “to try” or “to attempt,” often used in essays or news articles.
- 試験 — exam / test
- 試す — to try / to test
- 試合 — match / game
- 試みる — to attempt / to try
- 入試 — entrance exam
- 試作 — trial production / prototype
- 試運転 — test run
- 試着 — trying on clothes
With 言 (words) on the left and 式 (style/method) on the right, this kanji originally implied testing by speaking or acting in a particular manner. It’s now a versatile kanji for trying things, from school tests to life experiments.
日本語の試験を受けます。
I will take a Japanese language test.
この方法を 試してみましょう。
Let’s try this method.
新しい技術を 試みています。
They are experimenting with a new technology.
