泳

音読おんよみ: エイ

訓読くんよみ: およぐ

画数かくすう: 8

部首ぶしゅ: 氵（さんずい）

Meaning

Swim

  • Basic forms
  • 泳ぐ — to swim / base form
  • 泳ぎます — polite / I swim / masu form
  • 泳いだ — past / swam / ta form
  • 泳いで — te-form / swim (and …) / linking or request
  • 泳がない — negative / don’t swim / negative form
  • 泳げば — if I swim / conditional
  • 泳げ・泳いでみろ — swim! / try swimming! / imperative
  • Other common forms
  • 泳ぎたい — want to swim / 〜たい form
  • 泳げる — can swim / potential form
  • 泳がれた — was swum / passive
  • 泳がせる — make someone swim / causative
  • 泳いでいた — was swimming / past progressive
  • More
  • 泳ごう — let’s swim / 〜よう form
  • 泳いでいる — swimming / progressive
  • 泳がせている — letting (someone) swim / causative progressive
泳ぐ (およぐ) is a godan (う-verb). The final ぐ changes to ぎ / げ / が depending on the form — for example, 泳ぎます, 泳げる, 泳がない. Commonly used for swimming in pools, rivers, or the ocean.
  • 泳およぐ — to swim
  • 水泳すいえい — swimming
  • 平泳ひらおよぎ — breaststroke
  • 背泳せおよぎ — backstroke
  • 遠泳えんえい — long-distance swimming

The radical 氵(さんずい) indicates water. Combined with 永 (えい), meaning “long flow,” this character evokes the idea of swimming along a current. That’s why 泳 means “to swim.”

川かわで 泳およぐのが好すきです。
I like swimming in the river.

夏休なつやすみに海うみで泳およぎました。
I swam in the ocean during summer break.

水
Creates
水泳すいえい — swimming
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