The Meaning of tobasu [飛ばす] In Japanese

飛ばす
とばす
Romaji: tobasu N5

What does 飛ばす mean?

Translation and Meaning

to fly, to cause to fly, to launch; to skip over, to omit; to hit far (in sports); to send something flying

Definition

飛ばす means to cause something to fly or to make it fly; used transitively to propel objects into the air, or to launch or send something rapidly; it also means to skip over or omit something in speech or writing.

Type

verb (五段・他動)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • to cause to fly or to make something fly; to send into the air
  • to skip over or omit parts of a text, a scene, or a schedule
  • to hit or drive a ball far, especially in sports

Etymology

飛 = to fly; ばす is the transitive suffix that forms 飛ばす from 飛ぶ, yielding the sense ‘to cause to fly’.

Composition

  • 飛: core meaning related to flight or flying
  • ばす: transitive suffix that converts the intransitive 飛ぶ into 飛ばす, indicating causation or propulsion

Usage

Used as a transitive verb in both physical flight and figurative senses, with を marking the direct object. Common in everyday speech and sports vocabulary. Examples include 風船を飛ばす for making a balloon fly and 話を飛ばす for skipping over a part of a conversation or text.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: picture a kite (飛) that you actively push into the air by adding the burst suffix ばす, turning it into a verb meaning ‘to cause to fly’.

Variations

  • 飛ぶ (tobu) — to fly, intransitive
  • 省く (はぶく) / 省略する (しょうりゃくする) — to omit, skip
  • 打ち飛ばす (うちとばす) — to knock away or fling
飛ばす