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    Dictionary
    1. Dictionary
    2. Grammar
    3. 〜なむ

    〜なむ

    〜なむ

    You use this to say you really hope something happens. It sounds a bit old-fashioned, like from a storybook.

    KMT9FormalStandardSentence Ending ParticleWritten OnlyClassicalClassical Emphatic ParticlesGrammar

    Verb [stem] + なむPrimary
    い-Adjective [stem] + から + なむ

    You use this to say you really hope something happens. It sounds a bit old-fashioned, like from a storybook.

    いつか故こ郷きょうの桜さくらを再ふたたび見みなむ。

    I wish to one day see the cherry blossoms of my hometown again.

    FormalNon PastAffirmativeSentence EndingDesireNature & EnvironmentEmotions & Psychology
    君きみが旅たび路じ、幸さち多おおからなむ。

    I wish that your journey may be filled with much good fortune.

    FormalNon PastAffirmativeSentence EndingDesireTravel & TransportationEmotions & Psychology
    あの日ひに帰かえり、もう一いち度どやり直なおしなむ。

    I wish I could return to that day and do it over again.

    FormalPastAffirmativeSentence EndingDesireEmotions & Psychology
    願ねがわくは、この思おもい、彼かれに届とどかずありなむ。

    If I may wish, I hope these feelings do not reach him.

    FormalNon PastNegativeSentence EndingDesireFamily & RelationshipsEmotions & Psychology
    鳥とりの如ごとく、大おお空ぞらを翔かけなむ。

    Like a bird, I wish I could soar through the great sky.

    FormalNon PastAffirmativeSentence EndingDesireAnimalsNature & Environment

    This word makes your wish sound like a soft poem. It is like saying 'I hope' in a very old, beautiful way. It makes your words feel special, like from a storybook.

    This is different from modern ways to say you want something. 〜たい shows your own direct wish. 〜てほしい shows you want someone else to do something. 〜といいな is a common, casual way to wish. 〜かな asks if something is true, like 'I wonder if...'. But 〜なむ shows a clear wish, like 'I wish that...'.

    Don't use this when you are speaking. It sounds very old-fashioned, like from a play. People only write it now.

    More formal alternatives(1)

    〜かな

    You use this word at the end of a sentence. It means 'I wonder'. You can also use it to ask a very gentle question.

    Verb stem form

    This is a special form of a verb. You use it to join verbs together. You can also use it to make a noun from a verb.

    〜といい

    You use this to say you hope something good happens. It is a gentle way to wish for something.

    〜て欲しい

    You use this to say you want someone else to do something. You are asking them to do it for you.

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    Related concepts for this entry

    Similar concepts

    • 〜かな

    prerequisite

    • Verb stem form
    • 〜といい
    • 〜て欲しい

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