生(い)き延(の)びる

いきのびる
verb
to survive; to live on; to pull through
Conjugation
AffirmativeNegative
Present生(い)き延(の)びる生(い)き延(の)びない
Present polite生(い)き延(の)びます生(い)き延(の)びません
Past生(い)き延(の)びた生(い)き延(の)びなかった
Past polite生(い)き延(の)びました生(い)き延(の)びませんでした
て form生(い)き延(の)びて生(い)き延(の)びなくて
ている present生(い)き延(の)びている生(い)き延(の)びていない
ている polite生(い)き延(の)びています生(い)き延(の)びていません
ている past生(い)き延(の)びていた生(い)き延(の)びていなかった
ている past polite生(い)き延(の)びていました生(い)き延(の)びていませんでした
Conditional ば生(い)き延(の)びれば生(い)き延(の)びなければ
Conditional たら生(い)き延(の)びたら生(い)き延(の)びなかったら
Volitional生(い)き延(の)びよう—
Volitional polite生(い)き延(の)びましょう—
Potential生(い)き延(の)びられる生(い)き延(の)びられない
Passive生(い)き延(の)びられる生(い)き延(の)びられない
Causative生(い)き延(の)びさせる生(い)き延(の)びさせない
Imperative生(い)き延(の)びろ生(い)き延(の)びるな
1. to survive; to live through; to escape death
To continue living after experiencing a life-threatening situation such as war, disaster, or severe hardship, emphasizing that death was a real possibility.
奇跡(きせき)的(てき)に生(い)き延(の)びた。
I miraculously survived.
厳(きび)しい冬(ふゆ)を生(い)き延(の)びた動物(どうぶつ)たちが春(はる)に姿(すがた)を見(み)せた。
Animals that survived the harsh winter appeared in spring.
戦争(せんそう)を生(い)き延(の)びた祖父(そふ)は、平和(へいわ)の大切(たいせつ)さをいつも語(かた)っていた。
My grandfather, who survived the war, always spoke of the importance of peace.

A compound verb meaning to continue living through danger or hardship. Combines 生(い)きる (to live) and 延(の)びる (to extend, stretch). The nuance is surviving something that could have ended one's life.

USAGE:

  • Emphasizes having survived a dangerous or difficult situation — not simply "living a long time"
  • Often used with を to mark the hardship survived: 戦争(せんそう)を生(い)き延(の)びる (to survive the war)
  • Can also be used figuratively for organizations or businesses that survive difficult times

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 戦争(せんそう)を生(い)き延(の)びる: to survive the war
  • 災害(さいがい)を生(い)き延(の)びる: to survive a disaster
  • 奇跡(きせき)的(てき)に生(い)き延(の)びる: to survive miraculously
  • なんとか生(い)き延(の)びる: to barely survive

TRANSITIVITY:

  • Intransitive (self-moving)

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • 生(い)き残(のこ)る: to survive, to remain alive — very close in meaning; slightly more emphasis on being among those who remain
  • 助(たす)かる: to be saved, to survive — implies being rescued or having a fortunate outcome
  • 耐(た)え抜(ぬ)く: to endure through — emphasizes the act of enduring rather than the outcome of surviving
general
Added 2026.4.3 7:12 · Revised 2026.4.10 15:37
21500/21713_ikinobiru