Living your life

Lets you talk about being alive, how you live and how you spend your time.

Mix-ups ikiru and kurasu both translate as 'live', but where you live is sumu.

ikiru

polite ikimasu

live; be alive

Being alive or living a certain way; not for where you live.

Where you live is sumu: Tokyo ni sunde iru. ikiteru means 'alive'.

casual

jibun no tame ni ikitai.

I want to live for myself.

自分のために生きたい。

polite

jibun no tame ni ikitai desu.

I want to live for myself.

自分のために生きたいです。

Written 生きる · いきる · 生きますRank #211 in 3,030 TV dramas

polite kurashimasu

live; get by

Day-to-day living, who with and how: hitori de kurasu (live alone).

Noun: kurashi (life, lifestyle); hitorigurashi is living alone.

casual

ima wa hitori de kurashiteru.

I live on my own now.

今は一人で暮らしてる。

polite

ima wa hitori de kurashite imasu.

I live on my own now.

今は一人で暮らしています。

Written 暮らす · くらす · 暮らしますRank #663 in 3,030 TV dramas

polite sugoshimasu

spend (time)

Spending a stretch of time a certain way: holidays, weekends, time with someone.

For spending money, use tsukau.

casual

shuumatsu wa dou sugoshita?

How did you spend the weekend?

週末はどう過ごした？

polite

shuumatsu wa dou sugoshimashita ka?

How did you spend the weekend?

週末はどう過ごしましたか？

Written 過ごす · すごす · 過ごしますRank #917 in 3,030 TV dramas