Hurry in Japanese: 急ぐ

The idea

急ぐ is a godan verb ending in ぐ. Its polite stem is 急ぎ: 急ぎます. The て form is 急いで, and 急がない is the plain negative. A destination can take へ; a task can take を.

Examples

• 時間じかんがないので、駅えきへ急いそぎます。There is no time, so I hurry to the station.
• 電車でんしゃに間まに合あうように急いそぎました。I hurried to catch the train.
• 雨あめが降ふりそうですが、急いそぎません。It looks like rain, but I will not hurry.
• 急いそいで家いえを出でました。I hurried out of the house.
• この仕事しごとを急いそいでください。Please hurry with this work.
• 急いそがないで、ゆっくり食たべてください。Please eat slowly, without hurrying.

Watch out

急いで describes acting in a hurry, not merely moving at high speed. Do not form the て form as 急って; ぐ changes to いで.

Try it yourself

1. Write the polite non-past form: ＿。（急ぐ→ます）

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   急ぎます

   急ぎます is the polite non-past; the ぐ changes to ぎ before ます.

2. Write the て form: ＿。（急ぐ→て）

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   急いで

   急いで is the て form: the ending ぐ becomes いで.

3. Complete with the plain negative: ＿で、ゆっくり食べてください。（急ぐ→ない）

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   急がない

   急がないで means “without hurrying” or “do not hurry”; ぐ changes to が in the negative.

Use it today

Describe a time you hurried to a place, then say the same thing politely in the past.