書く means “write”. You can write a name on a form, a letter to someone or a message.

The idea

書く is a godan verb: 書きます is polite non-past, 書きました is polite past and 書いて is the て-form. Mark what you write with を, a surface or recipient with に, and a writing instrument with で.

Patterns to compare
JapaneseForm
書かくDictionary form
書かきますPolite non-past
書かきませんPolite negative
書かきましたPolite past
書かいてて-form
書かかないPlain negative

Examples

  • 毎日まいにち日記にっきを書かきます。I write in my diary every day.
  • 紙かみに名前なまえを書かきます。I write my name on paper.
  • 友ともだちに手紙てがみを書かきます。I write a letter to a friend.
  • ここに住所じゅうしょを書かいてください。Please write your address here.
  • 昨日きのうメールを書かきました。I wrote an email yesterday.
  • 今日きょうは鉛筆えんぴつで書かきません。I will not write in pencil today.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

Do not turn 書く into 書くて: its て-form is 書いて. The same reading かく may also be written 描く when drawing a picture.

Try it yourself

  1. 名前なまえ＿書かきます。（を／に） Choose the particle in brackets.

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    を

    を marks 名前 as the thing written; に would instead mark a surface or a recipient.

  2. ここに住所じゅうしょを＿ください。（書かく） Complete the request with the て-form of the verb.

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    書いて / かいて

    The godan ending く becomes いて here: 書いてください means “please write”.

  3. 昨日きのう、手紙てがみを＿。（書かく） Complete with the polite past of the verb.

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    書きました / かきました

    書きました is the polite past of 書く, matching the time word 昨日.

Use it today

Write a sentence about what you write and another about where you write your name. Then make a polite request using 書いてください.