Japanese word

給う

Pronunciation

Romajitamau

Meaning

  • verbgive

Example

王は兵士に褒美を給います。ō wa hei shi ni hō bi o tama i ma su

The king gives the soldiers rewards.

Illustration for 給う (give)

More examples

どうか旅立つ者に勇気を給いますよう、お祈りします。dō ka tabi da tsu mono ni yū ki o tama i ma su yō o ino ri shi ma su

I pray that you grant courage to those who are setting out.

Core concept

Expresses the elevated act of granting or handing something down from a superior to a subordinate.

Common phrases

  • 褒美を給うhō bi o tama u

    grant a reward

  • 知恵を給うchi e o tama u

    grant wisdom

Similar words

授けるsazukeru: To give someone an honor, skill, or valued thing in a formal manner.
与えるataeru: To provide something to a person or make it available without marking a social direction.
下さるkudasaru: To give something to the speaker or the speaker's group in respectful language.
くれるkureru: To give something to the speaker or the speaker's group in familiar language.

Definition in Japanese

身分の高い者が、目下の者に物や恩恵を与える。mi bun no taka i mono ga me shita no mono ni mono ya on kei o ata e ru

Word origin

給う (tamau, "to grant") and its variant 賜う (tamau, "to grant") are kanji spellings of the classical Japanese verb たまふ (tamafu, "to grant").

Usage tips

  • The formal tone of 給う (tamau) makes it suitable for royal or historical settings, where a ruler grants a reward to a subject.

Other meanings

  • grantverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word