泣く

• Reading: なく
• Romaji: naku
• Kanji breakdown: 泣 (kyū/na) — to cry; water radical (氵) + standing (立)
• Pronunciation: /na.kɯ/

Meaning

To cry; to weep; to shed tears. Describes the act of crying from sadness, pain, or strong emotion.

A Group 1 (godan) intransitive verb. Conjugated by changing the く to き, か, こ, etc. Note: the same reading なく also means 'to sing/chirp' for animals and birds, but that uses the kanji 鳴く. 泣く is exclusively for human crying.

Examples

1. 赤ちゃんが夜中に泣いています。 The baby is crying in the middle of the night.
2. 悲しい映画を見て泣きました。 I cried watching a sad movie.
3. 転んで膝をぶつけて泣いた。 I fell, hit my knee, and cried.

Usage Guide

Context: daily life, emotions, children

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From Old Japanese. The kanji 泣 combines the water radical (氵) representing tears with 立 (to stand), evoking the image of someone standing and shedding tears.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal