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Translation and Meaning of: 浮かぶ - ukabu

On this page, we will study the meaning of the Japanese word 浮かぶ (ukabu) and its translation into English. Let's see their different meanings, example phrases, explanations, etymology and the similar words.

Romaji: ukabu

Kana: うかぶ

Type: verb

L: jlpt-n2, jlpt-n1

浮かぶ

Translation / Meaning: to float; rise to the surface; come to mind

Meaning in English: to float;to rise to surface;to come to mind

Definition: Appears on the water's surface.

Sumário
- Etymology
- Vocabulary
- Writing
- Phrases

Explanation and Etymology - (浮かぶ) ukabu

The Japanese word 「浮かぶ」, romanized as "ukabu", is a verb that can be translated as "to float", "to emerge", or "to come to mind". This verb has a variety of uses and meanings depending on the context in which it is employed. The essence of the word is related to the idea of something rising or emerging, whether physically, like an object in water, or metaphorically, like thoughts and ideas in the mind.

The etymology of 「浮かぶ」 comes from the kanji 「浮」, which means "to float." The kanji is composed of the water radical 「氵」, symbolizing the aquatic element, and the time radical 「日」, suggesting something that takes time to emerge. The combination of these characters suggests a concept of "emerging in the water," which directly correlates with the notion of floatation. Furthermore, the suffix 「ぶ」 in the verb conjugation helps to form the intransitive aspect, indicating that the action of floating occurs naturally with the subject.

In everyday use, 「浮かぶ」 is employed in various situations, such as:

  • Physical descriptions, such as a boat or an object floating in water: “船が川に浮かぶ” (funa ga kawa ni ukabu).
  • Abstract contexts like ideas that come to mind: "アイデアが浮かぶ" (aidea ga ukabu), where the idea of something emerging internally is manifested.
  • Figures of speech, where something appears or forms mentally, like memories or images.

In addition to being a verb, 「浮かぶ」 also inspires a poetic image frequently explored in Japanese literature and poetry, where the softness and ephemerality of something that gently emerges in consciousness is evoked. This word's ability to transition between the concrete and the abstract makes it particularly valuable in the Japanese language, due to its capacity to describe different states of emergence or manifestation, being an important part of the basic vocabulary for those studying Japanese. In short, 「浮かぶ」 is a rich and versatile expression, essential for describing phenomena from the literal to the metaphorical.

Verbal conjugation of 浮かぶ

See below a small list of verb conjugations: 浮かぶ (ukabu)

  • 浮かぶ - Base form
  • 浮かびます - Polite form
  • 浮かばない - Negative form
  • 浮かんでいます - Continuous form
  • 浮かばせる - Causative form

Synonyms and similar words

  • 浮上する (fujou suru) - rise to the surface, emerge
  • 浮く (uku) - float, stay afloat
  • 浮かべる (ukaberu) - make float, show (in thought)
  • 浮き上がる (ukiagaru) - to rise, to elevate (in relation to the surface)
  • 浮き出る (uki deru) - appear, highlight (to become visible)

SEARCH FOR MORE WORDS WITH THE SAME MEANING

Words related

青い

aoi

blue; pale; green; green; inexperienced

水面

suimen

water surface

考え

kangae

thought; idea; intention

思い付く

omoitsuku

think about; have an idea; come to mind; be struck by an idea.

浮く

uku

to float; get happy; loosen

Words with the same pronunciation: うかぶ ukabu

ぶかぶか

bukabuka

Very large; loose

How to Write in Japanese - (浮かぶ) ukabu

See below a step-by-step guide on how to write the word by hand in Japanese (浮かぶ) ukabu:

Example Sentences - (浮かぶ) ukabu

Below are some example sentences:

空中に浮かぶ風船がきれいです。

Kuuchuu ni ukabu fuusen ga kirei desu

The balloon floating in the air is beautiful.

  • 空中に - indicates that something is in the air or in space
  • 浮かぶ - verb meaning to float
  • 風船 - noun meaning balloon
  • が - particle that indicates the subject of the sentence
  • きれい - adjective meaning beautiful or clean
  • です - verb that indicates the existence or state of something, in this case, the beauty of the balloons
岸には小さな船が浮かんでいる。

Gishi ni wa chiisana fune ga ukande iru

A small ship is floating on the shore.

  • 岸 - means "coast" or "margin".
  • に - is a particle that indicates the location of something.
  • は - is a particle that indicates the topic of the sentence.
  • 小さな - means "small".
  • 船 - means "boat".
  • が - is a particle that indicates the subject of the sentence.
  • 浮かんでいる - is a verb that means "floating".
白い雲が空に浮かんでいる。

Shiroi kumo ga sora ni ukande iru

A white cloud is floating in the sky.

  • 白い - adjective that means "white"
  • 雲 - noun meaning "cloud"
  • が - particle that indicates the subject of the sentence
  • 空 - noun meaning "heaven"
  • に - particle indicating the place where something is happening
  • 浮かんでいる - verb meaning "floating" (in present continuous)
私の心にはいつも幸せが浮かびます。

Watashi no kokoro ni wa itsumo shiawase ga ukabimasu

Happiness always comes to my heart.

  • 私 (watashi) - Japanese personal pronoun meaning "I"
  • の (no) - Japanese particle indicating possession or relationship between two words
  • 心 (kokoro) - Japanese noun meaning "heart" or "mind"
  • に (ni) - Japanese particle indicating action or direction
  • は (wa) - Japanese particle that indicates the topic of the sentence
  • いつも (itsumo) - Japanese adverb meaning "always"
  • 幸せ (shiawase) - Japanese noun meaning "happiness"
  • が (ga) - Japanese particle that indicates the subject of the sentence
  • 浮かびます (ukabimasu) - Japanese verb meaning "to float" or "to come to mind" in the present tense and polite

Other words of the same type: verb

See other words from our dictionary that are also: verb

itasu
to do
isogu
rush; rush
ijiru
touch; to mix
iji
maintenance; preservation
ijimeru
to tease; torment; to chase; punish
浮かぶ