たしなむ

たしなむ
verb (godan)
to enjoy (as a pastime); to have refined taste in; to be well-mannered
他動詞 transitiveformalcultureaction
Conjugation
AffirmativeNegative
Presentたしなむたしなまない
Present politeたしなみますたしなみません
Pastたしなんだたしなまなかった
Past politeたしなみましたたしなみませんでした
て formたしなんでたしなまなくて
ている presentたしなんでいるたしなんでいない
ている politeたしなんでいますたしなんでいません
ている pastたしなんでいたたしなんでいなかった
ている past politeたしなんでいましたたしなんでいませんでした
Conditional ばたしなめばたしなまなければ
Conditional たらたしなんだらたしなまなかったら
Volitionalたしなもう
Volitional politeたしなみましょう
Potentialたしなめるたしなめない
Passiveたしなまれるたしなまれない
Causativeたしなませるたしなませない
Imperativeたしなめたしなむな
1. to enjoy (as a pastime); to have refined taste in; to dabble in
To enjoy or practice something as a hobby or cultivated pursuit, often implying modest skill. Frequently used when humbly describing one's own hobbies.
(さけ)たしなむ。
To enjoy drinking (in moderation).
(わか)(ころ)茶道(さどう)(すこ)たしなんでいた
When I was young, I dabbled a little in tea ceremony.
My father is someone who enjoys go, and he always plays on weekends.
2. to be well-mannered; to exercise self-restraint; to be proper
To behave in a restrained, dignified, and socially appropriate manner. This sense often appears in the form たしなみ (noun).
To pay attention to one's grooming.
To have the proper decorum expected of a working adult.
As a matter of adult decorum, I want to have at least basic manners.

An elegant, somewhat literary verb with two related but distinct senses. In sense 1, it conveys modest enjoyment of a cultivated pursuit — using たしなむ to describe one's hobbies is more humble than saying 趣味(しゅみ) (hobby). In sense 2, it relates to propriety and self-discipline.

Common collocations

Writing

Can be written as (たしな)む, but the kanji is uncommon and hiragana is more typical.

Register

Slightly literary and refined. Using this verb to describe one's hobbies implies modesty and cultivation.