紡(つむ)ぐ

つむぐ
verb (godan)
to spin (thread), to weave (a story)
他動詞 transitiveliteraryaction
Conjugation
AffirmativeNegative
Present紡(つむ)ぐ紡(つむ)がない
Present polite紡(つむ)ぎます紡(つむ)ぎません
Past紡(つむ)いだ紡(つむ)がなかった
Past polite紡(つむ)ぎました紡(つむ)ぎませんでした
て form紡(つむ)いで紡(つむ)がなくて
ている present紡(つむ)いでいる紡(つむ)いでいない
ている polite紡(つむ)いでいます紡(つむ)いでいません
ている past紡(つむ)いでいた紡(つむ)いでいなかった
ている past polite紡(つむ)いでいました紡(つむ)いでいませんでした
Conditional ば紡(つむ)げば紡(つむ)がなければ
Conditional たら紡(つむ)いだら紡(つむ)がなかったら
Volitional紡(つむ)ごう—
Volitional polite紡(つむ)ぎましょう—
Potential紡(つむ)げる紡(つむ)げない
Passive紡(つむ)がれる紡(つむ)がれない
Causative紡(つむ)がせる紡(つむ)がせない
Imperative紡(つむ)げ紡(つむ)ぐな
1. to spin (thread or yarn)
To draw out and twist fibers such as cotton, silk, or wool into thread or yarn.
糸(いと)を紡(つむ)ぐ。
To spin thread.
I spun thread from cotton and wove cloth.
祖母(そぼ)は毎日(まいにち)糸車(いとぐるま)で糸(いと)を紡(つむ)いでいた。
My grandmother used to spin thread on a spinning wheel every day.
2. to weave, to craft (words, a story, connections)
To carefully put together words, stories, or relationships over time. A literary and poetic usage that evokes the image of spinning thread into something meaningful.
言葉(ことば)を紡(つむ)ぐ。
To weave words together.
The two of them have woven their bond over time.
I want to pass on the stories our predecessors have woven to the next generation.

Common patterns

Godan verb (紡(つむ)ぐ → 紡(つむ)ぎます). Transitive.

Usage

Sense 2 has become very popular in modern Japanese, frequently appearing in book titles, song lyrics, and poetic prose. It conveys the idea of carefully and lovingly creating something over time, thread by thread.

Common collocations

Related Words