The Meaning of motomeru [求める] In Japanese

求める
もとめる
Romaji: motomeru N3

What does 求める mean?

Translation and Meaning

to seek, to request, to desire, to ask for, to demand

Definition

What does 求める mean? It means to seek or request something from someone, or to express a desire or need for something to happen. It is a transitive verb used to indicate actively seeking an outcome, provision, or information, across concrete requests and abstract aims.

Type

verb (godan, 五段動詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • to seek or request something from someone
  • to desire or hope for something to happen, often with a goal or outcome in mind
  • to require or demand something in a formal or official context

Composition

  • 求: the core meaning is to seek or request; adding the verb-ending る turns the stem into a live verb form indicating a deliberate action

Usage

Used in formal and written contexts as well as everyday speech, 求める takes a direct object marked with を to indicate what is being sought, or uses 助けを求める etc. It appears in phrases for requests, appeals, or expectations, and can pair with abstract nouns such as 真実, 改善, or 助け.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: picture a hand reaching out toward a goal; the kanji 求 visually suggests reaching for something you want, and attaching める turns it into the act of seeking or asking.

Variations

  • to seek or request — motomeru
  • to desire — nozomu
  • to demand or require — youkyuu suru
  • classical/formal demand — motomu

Example Phrases

  • 同僚は欲深いので、ボーナスの話をしつこく求める。
    Dōryō wa yokubukai node, bōnasu no hanashi o shitsukoku motomeru.
    A coworker is greedy, so they persistently push for a talk about the bonus.
    Lista:
    • 同僚 (Dōryō) – coworker
    • は (wa) – topic marker
    • 欲深い (yokubukai) – greedy
    • ので (node) – because; so
    • ボーナス (bōnasu) – bonus
    • の (no) – possessive
    • 話を (hanashi o) – talk
    • しつこく (shitsukoku) – persistently
    • 求める (motomeru) – to seek
    Core point: 「欲深い」 is an i-adjective meaning ‘greedy’; here it describes a person and links with ので to explain the reason.
  • 新しい発想を追い求めるため、毎日アイデアをノートに書く。
    Atarashii hassou wo oi motomeru tame, mainichi aidea wo nooto ni kaku.
    To pursue new ideas, I write ideas in a notebook every day.
    Lista:
    • 新しい (atarashii) – new
    • 発想 (hassou) – idea
    • を (wo) – object marker
    • 追い求める (oi motomeru) – to pursue
    • ため (tame) – for, in order to
    • 毎日 (mainichi) – every day
    • アイデア (aidea) – idea
    • を (wo) – object marker
    • ノート (nooto) – notebook
    • に (ni) – in
    • 書く (kaku) – to write
    「発想」 is the noun meaning ‘idea’; here it is the direct object of を in 発想を追い求めるため, indicating purpose.
  • 彼は仕事で新しい挑戦を求める。
    Kare wa shigoto de atarashii chousen o motomeru.
    He seeks a new challenge at work.
    Lista:
    • 彼は (kare wa) – he
    • 仕事で (shigoto de) – at work
    • 新しい (atarashii) – new
    • 挑戦を (chousen o) – a challenge
    • 求める (motomeru) – to seek
    In this sentence, 「求める」 means ‘to seek/pursue’; it takes 新しい挑戦を as its object.
求める