捕まえる

• Reading: つかまえる
• Romaji: tsukamaeru
• Kanji breakdown: 捕 (ho/tsuka) — catch, capture, seize
• Pronunciation: /tsɯ.ka.ma.e.ɾɯ/

Meaning

To catch; to capture; to arrest. The act of seizing and holding onto someone or something.

A Group 2 (ichidan) transitive verb. The intransitive counterpart is 捕まる (to be caught). Used for catching insects (虫を捕まえる), arresting criminals (犯人を捕まえる), and figuratively catching a taxi (タクシーを捕まえる). A vivid, physical verb.

Examples

1. 子供たちが公園で虫を捕まえています。 The kids are catching bugs in the park.
2. 警察が泥棒を捕まえました。 The police caught the thief.
3. タクシーを捕まえるのに時間がかかりました。 It took a while to catch a taxi.

Usage Guide

Context: daily life, police, nature

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From the verb 捕まる (to be caught) with the causative-like える ending. The kanji 捕 combines 扌 (hand radical) and 甫 (seedbed), depicting seizing something by hand.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal