鳴く
なく
to make sound (animal)
Naku (鳴く) is a godan verb meaning "to make sound (animal)". Its polite form is 鳴きます (nakimasu), its te form is 鳴いて (naite), its past form is 鳴いた (naita), and its negative form is 鳴かない (nakanai).
Godan verbJLPT N5
Naku (鳴く) conjugation quick reference
鳴く means "to make sound (animal)". Its main forms are listed below, with links to the grammar pattern behind each form.
Naku example sentences
犬が鳴きます。
The dog barks.
昨日、猫が鳴きました。
The cat meowed yesterday.
鳥は鳴きません。
The bird does not chirp.
How to use Naku: grammar notes
•Use 鳴く when talking about the sounds animals make—like birds chirping or dogs barking—but don’t use it for people or machines.
•The animal that makes the sound usually comes before 鳴く with the particle が, like in「犬が鳴いています」(The dog is barking).
•Don’t confuse 鳴く with 泣く (also read as "naku"), which means "to cry" for people—different kanji, different meaning!
•JLPT N5 level
Common phrases with Naku
鳥が鳴く
The bird sings (chirps)
犬が鳴いている
The dog is barking
夜になると虫が鳴く
In the evening, insects chirp
Naku (鳴く) conjugation table
| Form | Japanese | Romaji |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Forms | ||
| Dictionary Form | 鳴く | naku |
| Masu Form | 鳴きます | nakimasu |
| Te Form | 鳴いて | naite |
| Past Form | 鳴いた | naita |
| Negative Form | 鳴かない | nakanai |
| Past Negative | 鳴かなかった | nakanakatta |
| Polite Forms | ||
| Polite Present | 鳴きます | nakimasu |
| Polite Past | 鳴きました | nakimashita |
| Polite Negative | 鳴きません | nakimasen |
| Polite Past Negative | 鳴きませんでした | nakimasendeshita |
| Advanced Forms | ||
| Potential Form | 鳴ける | nakeru |
| Passive Form | 鳴かれる | nakareru |
| Causative Form | 鳴かせる | nakaseru |
| Causative Passive | 鳴かされる | nakasareru |
| Volitional Form | 鳴こう | nakou |
| Imperative Form | 鳴け | nake |
| Conditional Forms | ||
| Conditional (ば) | 鳴けば | nakeba |
| Conditional (たら) | 鳴いたら | naitara |
| Other Forms | ||
| Progressive Form | 鳴いている | naiteiru |
| Desire (たい) | 鳴きたい | nakitai |
| Prohibition | 鳴くな | nakuna |