する

See also: ずる

Japanese

Etymology 1

Alternative spelling 為る

From Old Japanese root verb (su, to do).[1][2]

As with all verbs, during the Middle Japanese stage in the Kamakura and Muromachi periods, the 終止形 (shūshikei, terminal or sentence-ending form) was gradually lost as the 連体形 (rentaikei, attributive form) came to be used for both the attributive and terminal grammatical roles, realigning the conjugations.

Pronunciation

Verb

する (transitive and intransitive, suru conjugation, rōmaji suru)

  1. (intransitive)
    1. (of inanimate objects) to exist; to come up
       (いな) (びかり)がする
      inabikari ga suru
      A lightning occured.
      においがする
      nioi ga suru
      There is a smell.
    2. (of a specified state; of a specified quality) to exist (in someone or something)
      がっしりした (ほね) ()
      gasshiri shita honegumi
      a rigid structure
    3. to be worth; to have the value of
       ()億円 (おくえん)もする ()
      gooku en mo suru e
      a painting worth 500 million yen
    4. (of time) to pass; to elapse
      一年 (いちねん)もすれば (わす)れるだろう
      ichinen mo sureba wasureru darō
      It will be forgotten in one year.
  2. (transitive)
    1. to do; to perform an action
       (なに)していますか。
      Nani o shite imasu ka.
      What are you doing?
    2. to act as; to play a role of
       (わたし)司会 (しかい)をする
      watashi ga shikai o suru
      I am the anchorman.
    3. to render; to make become
      Usually "A B / + する ", to make A become B.
      息子 (むすこ)先生 (せんせい)にする
      musuko o sensei ni suru
      He is training his son to become a teacher.
      一人 (ひとり)にしないで
      hitori ni shinaide
      please don't leave me to be alone by myself
       () ()綺麗 (きれい)にする
      heya o kirei ni suru
      to clean up one's room
    4. (to be in a specified state; to have a specified quality) to be
       (こわ) ()つきをする
      kowai metsuki o suru
      to have an intimidating glare
    5. to wear (accessories)
      ネクタイをする
      Nekutai o suru.
      I wear a necktie.
    6. to decide; to choose or to make a judgment
      まあ、これでよしとしよう
      mā, kore de yoshi to shiyō
      Alright, let's go with that.
      出場 (しゅつじょう) ()りやめにする
      shutsujō o toriyame ni suru
      I decided to quit the competition.
  3. (auxiliary)
    1. "Verbal noun + emphatic particle (e.g. , , こそ, さえ) + する ", emphasizing the verb.
       (ゆき) ()りはしたが ()もらなかった
      yuki wa furi wa shita ga tsumoranakatta
      It did snow, but the snow did not pile up.
    2. "Volitional form of verb + + する ": to be about to; to incline to
       () (しず)もうとしている
      hi ga shizumō to shite iru
      The sun is sinking.
    3. " / + する ", to give a condition or standpoint, either real or hypothetical: if / since; assuming that / now that
       (しゅう) (さく)とすれば上々 (じょうじょう) () ()
      shūsaku to sureba jōjō no deki da
      It is of a considerably good quality as for a practice writing.
       (おや)としては心配 (しんぱい)するのは当然 (とうぜん)
      oya to shite wa shinpai suru no wa tōzen da
      It's inevitable to worry about that if you were the parent.
      どんなに (いそ)いだにしても () ()わなかっただろう
      donna ni isoida ni shite mo ma ni awanakatta darō
      It would never have been done in time no matter how hard we had worked.
    4. (humble) "  ()/ () + verbal noun + する ", a humble form of the verb.
      Antonym: 成る
      Synonym: 致す
       (とど)ける (todokeru, to deliver) -  (とど)けする (o todoke suru, to deliver, humble)
       (とも) (tomo, company) -  (とも)します (o tomo shimasu, to accompany, humble)
      案内 (あんない)する (annai suru, to guide) - 案内 (あんない)します (go annai shimasu, to guide, humble)
Usage notes

The verb する (“to do”) is seldom written in kanji (為る).

It is common to use する after certain nouns to indicate that the noun is being done; this is highly productive, meaning many nouns can be used as verbs in this way. Some examples are:

  • 勉強 (benkyō, studying)勉強する (benkyō suru, “to do studying” → “to study”)
  • 旅行 (ryokō, journey)旅行する (ryokō suru, “to do journey” → “to travel”)

See Category:Japanese suru verbs.

Conjugation
Synonyms
  • (to do):  (),  () (nasu) (somewhat archaic, usage is more limited)
  • (to do):  (おこな) (okonau, to carry out)
  • (used to make a verb): 〜る (-ru), a much less productive suffix for turning a noun into a verb
See also

Etymology 2

Reading for various kanji spellings.

Verb

する (rōmaji suru)

Various verbs deriving from senses similar to “to slide” or “to rub”:

  1. 刷る, 摺る: to print something (from the way the paper would be placed on the printing block and rubbed)
  2. 掏る: to pick someone's pocket (possibly from the way a pickpocket must slide along unnoticed;[1] compare English slick)
  3. 擦る, 摩る, 磨る, 擂る: to slide, to rub, to chafe, to strike (as in a match, by rubbing); to lose or waste money
  4. 剃る: irregular reading for 剃る (soru, to shave)

References

  1. 1988, 国語大辞典(新装版) (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
  2. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  3. 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, →ISBN
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