絶(た)える

たえる
verb (ichidan)
to cease, to die out, to run out
自動詞 intransitiveexistence
See also: 耐(た)える (endure, bear), 絶(た)やす (transitive)
Conjugation
AffirmativeNegative
Present絶(た)える絶(た)えない
Present polite絶(た)えます絶(た)えません
Past絶(た)えた絶(た)えなかった
Past polite絶(た)えました絶(た)えませんでした
て form絶(た)えて絶(た)えなくて
ている present絶(た)えている絶(た)えていない
ている polite絶(た)えています絶(た)えていません
ている past絶(た)えていた絶(た)えていなかった
ている past polite絶(た)えていました絶(た)えていませんでした
Conditional ば絶(た)えれば絶(た)えなければ
Conditional たら絶(た)えたら絶(た)えなかったら
Volitional絶(た)えよう—
Volitional polite絶(た)えましょう—
Potential絶(た)えられる絶(た)えられない
Passive絶(た)えられる絶(た)えられない
Causative絶(た)えさせる絶(た)えさせない
Imperative絶(た)えろ絶(た)えるな
1. to cease, to come to an end, to be cut off
For something that was continuing to stop completely. Often used for communication, sound, supply, or a continuous state being interrupted.
連絡(れんらく)が絶(た)えた。
Contact was cut off.
客足(きゃくあし)が絶(た)えない人気(にんき)店(てん)だ。
It's a popular shop where the flow of customers never stops.
笑(わら)いの絶(た)えない家庭(かてい)を築(きず)きたい。
I want to build a home that is always full of laughter.
Literally: a home where laughter never ceases.
2. to die out, to become extinct, to be discontinued
For a lineage, species, tradition, or practice to completely disappear, with no continuation remaining.
この技術(ぎじゅつ)は後継者(こうけいしゃ)がおらず絶(た)えてしまった。
This craft died out because there were no successors.
家系(かけい)が絶(た)える。
A family line dies out.
戦争(せんそう)で村(むら)の伝統(でんとう)行事(ぎょうじ)が絶(た)えてしまった。
The village's traditional events were lost due to the war.

Common patterns

Ichidan verb (絶(た)える → 絶(た)えます). Intransitive. Very commonly used in the negative form 絶(た)えない (never ceases), which has a positive nuance: 笑(わら)いが絶(た)えない (always laughing), 客(きゃく)が絶(た)えない (always busy with customers).

Common collocations

Similar words

The homophone 耐(た)える means "to endure" — a completely different word. 途絶(とだ)える is a near-synonym that emphasizes interruption of something expected to continue.

Related Words

Related: 絶(た)え間(ま)なく (ceaselessly (adverb))
general
Added 2026.2.27 13:19 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
13500/13814_taeru