看板を掲げる
Conjugation
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Present | 看板を掲げる | 看板を掲げない |
| Present polite | 看板を掲げます | 看板を掲げません |
| Past | 看板を掲げた | 看板を掲げなかった |
| Past polite | 看板を掲げました | 看板を掲げませんでした |
| て form | 看板を掲げて | 看板を掲げなくて |
| ている present | 看板を掲げている | 看板を掲げていない |
| ている polite | 看板を掲げています | 看板を掲げていません |
| ている past | 看板を掲げていた | 看板を掲げていなかった |
| ている past polite | 看板を掲げていました | 看板を掲げていませんでした |
| Conditional ば | 看板を掲げれば | 看板を掲げなければ |
| Conditional たら | 看板を掲げたら | 看板を掲げなかったら |
| Volitional | 看板を掲げよう | — |
| Volitional polite | 看板を掲げましょう | — |
| Potential | 看板を掲げられる | 看板を掲げられない |
| Passive | 看板を掲げられる | 看板を掲げられない |
| Causative | 看板を掲げさせる | 看板を掲げさせない |
| Imperative | 看板を掲げろ | 看板を掲げるな |
Literally "to raise/hang up a sign." Composed of 看板 (shop sign, signboard) + を (object marker) + 掲げる (to raise, to hoist, to hold up). Historically rooted in the practice of a new shop hanging up its painted or carved 看板 to signal that it was open for business.
Common patterns
- Xを看板に掲げる: to make X one's banner / slogan / public stance
- Xを看板にする: a close synonym of the figurative sense
- 看板を下ろす: to take down the sign — idiomatic for closing a business or abandoning a stated principle
- 看板倒れ: (literally "the sign has fallen") — all talk and no substance; a facade that doesn't match reality
Usage
The literal sense 1 (opening a shop) is transparent and neutral. The figurative sense 2 is extremely common in news commentary and political writing, where it can be used without comment or, very often, with a tone of mild skepticism — "they put it on their sign, but..." The figurative sense usually takes the pattern Xを看板に掲げる, with に rather than を marking 看板.
Related words
- 旗印に掲げる: to raise (something) as a banner — a close synonym of sense 2, with a more martial or ideological flavor.
- 看板を下ろす: to take down the sign — to close a business; to withdraw from a stated position.
- 看板倒れ: a facade; all show and no substance.
- 大看板: a big name; the star of a company or troupe.
Register
Neutral to slightly formal/written. Common in news writing, essays, and business journalism, but also used in everyday spoken Japanese.