Read, watch, sing, draw
Collocations, Stage 1chunk 8 of 22Hobbies, sport & games
The everyday pastimes whose English verb carries straight across: a book is read, a film watched, a song sung, a picture drawn or painted.
- hon o yomuread a book
- eiga o miruwatch a movie
- uta o utausing a song
- e o kakudraw or paint a picture
Mix-ups Little between them. e o kaku uses the same sound as kaku (write) and covers painting too, never hiku as in sen o hiku (draw a line). miru is 'watch' for films and TV alike (eiga mita, terebi miteru).
hon o yomu
polite hon o yomimasuread a book
本を読む ほんをよむ 本を読みます
verbyomu 読むread, silently or aloudtypical 27% of hon
Said about reading as a habit or right now: hon toka yomu? asks if someone reads, and hon yonderu is 'is reading' (or, with mainichi, 'reads every day'). Casual speech drops o, as in hon yomu no suki (I like reading).
saikin nanka omoshiroi hon yonda?
Read any good books lately?
最近なんか面白い本読んだ？
saikin nanika omoshiroi hon o yomimashita ka?
Have you read any good books lately?
最近何か面白い本を読みましたか？
Reading named as a hobby is dokusho (shumi wa dokusho desu); in chat, hon yomu no ga suki sounds more natural.
Same verb: manga (comics), shousetsu (novel), zasshi (magazine), shinbun (newspaper)Learn alongside: eiga o miru, uta o utau, e o kaku, geemu o suru, sakkaa o suru, piano o hiku, piano o narau, terebi o miru (Stage 2), ongaku o kiku (Stage 2), nyuusu o miru (Stage 2), ongaku o kakeru (Stage 2)Main list: suki (Stage 2), omoshiroi (Stage 3), -teru (Stage 1)
eiga o miru
polite eiga o mimasuwatch a movie
映画を見る えいがをみる 映画を見ます
verbmiru 見るsee, look at, watchtypical 31% of eiga
trap 'Not yet' is mada mitenai, not mada minai, which means 'I'm not going to watch it yet'.
Said about films at home or at the cinema, often without o in casual speech (eiga miru). 'Have you seen it yet?' is the past tense mou mita?, and 'have you ever seen it?' is mita koto aru?
ano eiga, mou mita?
Have you seen that movie yet?
あの映画、もう見た？
ano eiga, mou mimashita ka?
Have you seen that movie yet?
あの映画、もう見ましたか？
Going to the cinema is its own set, eiga ni iku. The invitation is eiga ikanai? or eiga mi ni ikanai?, which mean the same.
Same verb: dorama (TV drama), anime (anime), douga (online video), terebi (TV)Learn alongside: hon o yomu, uta o utau, e o kaku, geemu o suru, sakkaa o suru, piano o hiku, piano o narau, terebi o miru (Stage 2), ongaku o kiku (Stage 2), nyuusu o miru (Stage 2), ongaku o kakeru (Stage 2)Main list: miru (Stage 2), -ni iku / -ni kuru (Stage 4), mou (Stage 1), mada (Stage 1), -teru (Stage 1)
uta o utau
polite uta o utaimasusing a song
歌を歌う うたをうたう 歌を歌います
verbutau 歌うsingtypical 23% of uta
utau already means sing, so uta is often dropped when the song is obvious, as in karaoke de nani utau? (what'll you sing at karaoke?). The full uta (o) utau is for singing in general: uta utau no suki (I like singing).
ofuro de uta utau no suki.
I like singing in the bath.
お風呂で歌うたうの好き。
ofuro de uta o utau no ga suki desu.
I like singing in the bath.
お風呂で歌を歌うのが好きです。
Praise usually names uta: uta umai ne! (casual) or uta ga ojouzu desu ne (polite), both meaning 'you're a great singer'. utau no umai ne is also fine.
Same verb: kyoku (song, track), hanauta (a hummed tune: hanauta utatteru)Learn alongside: hon o yomu, eiga o miru, e o kaku, geemu o suru, sakkaa o suru, piano o hiku, piano o narau, terebi o miru (Stage 2), ongaku o kiku (Stage 2), nyuusu o miru (Stage 2), ongaku o kakeru (Stage 2)Main list: suki (Stage 2), jouzu (Stage 3)
e o kaku
polite e o kakimasudraw or paint a picture
絵を描く えをかく 絵を描きます
verbkaku 描くdraw or paint a picture; it sounds the same as kaku (write)typical 32% of e
trap Not e o hiku (hiku draws a line: sen o hiku) or e o nuru (nuru paints a surface). A picture takes kaku whether it is drawn or painted.
Use it for drawing or painting a picture, as a hobby or right now. Casually o is dropped: e kaiteru means you are drawing now or draw as a hobby.
e kaku no suki?
Do you like drawing?
絵描くの好き？
e o kaku no ga suki desu ka?
Do you like drawing?
絵を描くのが好きですか？
egaku is the written reading of the same kanji; in conversation it is kaku.
Same verb: manga (comics), irasuto (illustration), chizu (map)Learn alongside: hon o yomu, eiga o miru, uta o utau, geemu o suru, sakkaa o suru, piano o hiku, piano o narau, terebi o miru (Stage 2), ongaku o kiku (Stage 2), nyuusu o miru (Stage 2), ongaku o kakeru (Stage 2)Main list: suki (Stage 2)