甘える
あまえる
verb (ichidan)
to depend on; to act spoiled; to presume upon someone's kindness
自動詞 intransitiveemotion
See also:
甘やかす (transitive)
Conjugation
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Present | 甘える | 甘えない |
| Present polite | 甘えます | 甘えません |
| Past | 甘えた | 甘えなかった |
| Past polite | 甘えました | 甘えませんでした |
| て form | 甘えて | 甘えなくて |
| ている present | 甘えている | 甘えていない |
| ている polite | 甘えています | 甘えていません |
| ている past | 甘えていた | 甘えていなかった |
| ている past polite | 甘えていました | 甘えていませんでした |
| Conditional ば | 甘えれば | 甘えなければ |
| Conditional たら | 甘えたら | 甘えなかったら |
| Volitional | 甘えよう | — |
| Volitional polite | 甘えましょう | — |
| Potential | 甘えられる | 甘えられない |
| Passive | 甘えられる | 甘えられない |
| Causative | 甘えさせる | 甘えさせない |
| Imperative | 甘えろ | 甘えるな |
1.
to depend on someone's affection; to act spoiled; to presume upon someone's kindness
To seek or expect indulgence from someone in a close relationship, allowing oneself to be emotionally dependent.
Cultural note
甘え (the noun form; see 甘え) is a key concept in Japanese 心理, analysed by the psychiatrist Doi Takeo in his 本 「甘えの構造」 (The Anatomy of Dependence). It names the wish to be looked after indulgently by someone close, and the confidence that they will allow it.
Watch out
English 'spoiled' sounds like criticism, but 甘える is often warm: a child leaning on a parent this way, or a friend accepting a favour, is behaving in a way that confirms closeness. It turns critical only when someone presumes too far on a relationship, as in 甘えすぎる.
Transitivity
- Type: intransitive (自動詞)
- Pair: 甘やかす (to spoil, to pamper) - transitive
- Pattern: XがYに甘える - the person indulged is marked with に
ASPECT (ている):
甘えている describes behaviour going on right now, not a resulting state - a child who is being clingy at this moment.
Common expressions
Related Words
Pair verb:
甘やかす (to spoil, to pamper (transitive))
Related:
甘えん坊 (spoiled child)
Compare:
依存する (to depend on)