English–Japanese

“keep” in Japanese

Japanese

保つ

Also留める (todomeru) · キープ (kīpu) · 飼う (kau)

Pronunciation

Romajitamotsu

Example

部屋をきれいに保ちます。heya o ki re i ni tamo chi ma su

I keep the room clean.

How to say “keep” in Japanese

“Keep” in Japanese is 保つ (tamotsu).

Describes keeping something in a chosen condition over time rather than letting it change.

Full entry for 保つ: usage tips, similar words and word origin

Example sentences with 保つ

毎日運動して健康を保ちます。mai nichi un dō shi te ken kō o tamo chi ma su

I exercise every day to stay healthy.

Tips for using 保つ

In everyday Japanese, 保つ (tamotsu) commonly takes を (o) before the condition being maintained, as in 健康を保つ (kenkō o tamotsu), and its polite form is 保ちます (tamochimasu).

Other Japanese words for “keep”

留める

todomeru

verbkeep

彼をここに留めます。kare o ko ko ni to me ma su

I will keep him here.

キープ

kīpu

nounkeep

この順位をキープします。ko no jun i o kī pu shi ma su

We will keep this position.

飼う

kau

verbhave