音読み: タイ
訓読み: まつ
画数: 9
部首: ぎょうにんべん（彳）
Meaning
Wait / Expect / Stay
- Basic forms
- 待つ — to wait / base form
- 待ちます — polite / I wait / masu form
- 待った — past / waited / ta form
- 待って — wait (and…); please wait / te form
- 待たない — negative / don’t wait / negative
- 待てば — if I wait / conditional
- 待て・待ってて — wait! / hold on! / imperative
- Other common forms
- 待ちたい — want to wait / want to
- 待てる — can wait / potential
- 待たれた — was waited for / passive
- 待たせる — make someone wait / causative
- 待っていた — was waiting / past progressive
- More
- 待とう — let’s wait / volitional
- 待っている — waiting / progressive
- 待たされている — being made to wait / causative progressive
待つ (まつ) is a godan (う-verb). The final つ changes to ち / て / た depending on the form — for example, 待ちます, 待って, 待った.
- 待機 — standby / waiting
- 期待 — expectation / hope
- 招待 — invitation
- 待合室 — waiting room
- 待ち時間 — waiting time
- 待ち合わせ — meeting up / rendezvous
Compound Verbs - tap to expand
- 待ち合わせる — to meet by appointment; to rendezvous
- 待ち受ける — to wait for; to be ready for
- 待ち構える — to lie in wait; to be on standby
- 待ち続ける — to keep waiting
- 待ち望む — to long for; to eagerly await
The character 待 combines the “step” radical (彳) with 寺 (temple), expressing the idea of standing or pausing respectfully — thus “to wait.” It’s common in both literal and figurative expressions of anticipation.