- Basic forms
- 遊ぶ — to play, to hang out / base form
- 遊びます — polite / I play / masu form
- 遊んだ — past / played / ta form
- 遊んで — te-form / play (and …) / linking or request
- 遊ばない — negative / don’t play / negative form
- 遊べば — if (I) play / conditional
- 遊べ — play! / imperative
- Other common forms
- 遊びたい — want to play / 〜たい form
- 遊べる — can play / be able to play / potential
- 遊べなかった — couldn’t play / wasn’t able to play / potential negative past
- More
- 遊ぼう — let’s play / 〜よう form
- 遊ばなかった — past negative / didn’t play
- 遊んでいる — playing / hanging out (right now) / progressive / state
遊ぶ (あそぶ) is a godan (う-verb) ending in ぶ. In て- and た-forms, ぶ changes to んで / んだ: 遊んで, 遊んだ. Used for both playing and social activities — e.g., 友達と遊ぶ (to hang out with friends).
- 遊園地 — amusement park
- 遊学 — studying abroad
- 遊歩道 — promenade, walkway
- 外遊 — overseas trip (esp. by a diplomat)
- 遊泳 — swimming
- 遊興 — amusement, entertainment
- 遊戯 — play, game
- 遊星 — planet
Compound Verbs - tap to expand
- 遊び歩く — to wander around for fun; to stroll about
- 遊び回る — to play around; to roam about
- 遊びまくる — to play a lot; to indulge in playing
- 遊び呆ける — to neglect duties and just play around
- 遊び疲れる — to get tired from playing
遊 is a phono-semantic compound: the part with 斿 gives the sound, and 辶 (movement radical) gives the meaning of "wandering or moving." Together, they reflect the idea of playful movement or free activity.
