受(う)け継(つ)ぐ

うけつぐ
verb (godan, transitive)
to inherit; to succeed to; to take over
他動詞 transitiveaction
Conjugation
AffirmativeNegative
Present受(う)け継(つ)ぐ受(う)け継(つ)がない
Present polite受(う)け継(つ)ぎます受(う)け継(つ)ぎません
Past受(う)け継(つ)いだ受(う)け継(つ)がなかった
Past polite受(う)け継(つ)ぎました受(う)け継(つ)ぎませんでした
て form受(う)け継(つ)いで受(う)け継(つ)がなくて
ている present受(う)け継(つ)いでいる受(う)け継(つ)いでいない
ている polite受(う)け継(つ)いでいます受(う)け継(つ)いでいません
ている past受(う)け継(つ)いでいた受(う)け継(つ)いでいなかった
ている past polite受(う)け継(つ)いでいました受(う)け継(つ)いでいませんでした
Conditional ば受(う)け継(つ)げば受(う)け継(つ)がなければ
Conditional たら受(う)け継(つ)いだら受(う)け継(つ)がなかったら
Volitional受(う)け継(つ)ごう—
Volitional polite受(う)け継(つ)ぎましょう—
Potential受(う)け継(つ)げる受(う)け継(つ)げない
Passive受(う)け継(つ)がれる受(う)け継(つ)がれない
Causative受(う)け継(つ)がせる受(う)け継(つ)がせない
Imperative受(う)け継(つ)げ受(う)け継(つ)ぐな
1. to inherit; to succeed to
To receive something (property, traditions, skills, etc.) from a predecessor and continue with it.
父(ちち)の仕事(しごと)を受(う)け継(つ)いだ。
I took over my father's work.
祖父(そふ)から家業(かぎょう)を受(う)け継(つ)いだ。
I inherited the family business from my grandfather.
母(はは)の料理(りょうり)の腕(うで)を受(う)け継(つ)ぎたい。
I want to inherit my mother's cooking skills.
この伝統(でんとう)は何(なん)世代(せだい)にもわたって受(う)け継(つ)がれてきた。
This tradition has been passed down through many generations.
先代(せんだい)の社長(しゃちょう)が築(きず)いた信頼(しんらい)を受(う)け継(つ)ぎ、会社(かいしゃ)をさらに成長(せいちょう)させた。
He inherited the trust built by the previous president and grew the company further.

Forms

Compound verb: 受(う)ける (to receive) + 継(つ)ぐ (to succeed, to inherit)

Usage

  • What is inherited takes を; the predecessor it comes from takes から (example 2).
  • The object is typically something intangible and continuing — a trade, a tradition, a skill, a temperament — rather than a one-off physical object. For simply receiving a thing, 受(う)け取(と)る is the ordinary verb.
  • Very often passive: 受(う)け継(つ)がれる describes traditions or qualities being passed down without naming who did the passing.
  • 技術(ぎじゅつ)が受(う)け継(つ)がれる (skills are passed down)
  • 意志(いし)を受(う)け継(つ)ぐ (to carry on someone's will)
  • 財産(ざいさん)を受(う)け継(つ)ぐ (to inherit property)
  • DNAを受(う)け継(つ)ぐ (to inherit genes)

ASPECT (ている):
受(う)け継(つ)いでいる and the passive 受(う)け継(つ)がれている both name a resulting state — "has taken it over and now holds it", "is still being carried on today" — not an action in progress. Example 4's 受(う)け継(つ)がれてきた adds きた to trace that state back through time.

Similar words

Related Words

Related: 引(ひ)き継(つ)ぐ (to take over)
Related: 継(つ)ぐ (to succeed)
Compare: 踏襲(とうしゅう) (following (a precedent))
core
Added 2026.1.18 13:42 · Revised 2026.9.4 21:31
06500/06700_uketsugu