並ぶ

• Reading: ならぶ
• Romaji: narabu
• Kanji breakdown: 並 (hei/nara) — line up, parallel; two people standing side by side
• Pronunciation: /na.ɾa.bɯ/

Meaning

To line up; to stand in a line; to queue. Describes people or things arranged in a row.

A Group 1 (godan) intransitive verb. Used for both people queuing and objects arranged in rows. Very common in daily Japanese life where queuing is culturally important. Forms a transitive-intransitive pair with 並べる (naraberu, to arrange in a line). Common pattern: 列に並ぶ (to stand in a queue).

Examples

1. 人気のラーメン屋の前に人が並んでいます。 People are lined up in front of the popular ramen shop.
2. バス停で並んで待ちましょう。 Let's line up and wait at the bus stop.
3. 本棚に本がきれいに並んでいる。 The books are neatly lined up on the bookshelf.

Usage Guide

Context: daily life, restaurants, events

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

The kanji 並 pictographically shows two people standing side by side, directly representing the concept of things lined up in parallel.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal