Japanese

うらなう
Meaning: to forecast; to predict; to tell a fortune
Part of Speech: Verb

Listen to pronunciation

Show inflections Hide inflections

Verb inflections

Form Affirmative Negative
Present 占う 占わない
Polite 占います 占いません
Past 占った 占わなかった
Polite + Past 占いました 占いませんでした
Te-form 占って 占わなくて
Potential 占える 占えない
Passive 占われる 占われない
Causative 占わせる 占わせない
Causative + Passive 占わされる 占わされない
Imperative 占え 占うな

Example sentences

星で運勢を占う。
To tell a fortune by the stars.
彼女は有名な占い師に将来を占ってもらった。
She had her future told by a famous fortune teller.
平安時代の陰陽師は、星の動きから吉凶を占った。
In Japan's 平安時代 period, court diviners foretold fortune and misfortune from the movement of the stars.
彼は将来の運勢を占うために、易を立てた。
In order to predict his future fortune, he performed divination.
神社で新年の吉凶を占った。
I predicted my luck for the new year at the shrine.

Usage Notes

Refers to the act of predicting the future or someone's fate, often using specific methods like astrology or card reading.

Sottaku

About Sottaku

Sottaku is an app for learning Chinese, Japanese, Korean, English, Spanish, French, German, and Italian with a strong focus on SRS. It includes automatic flashcard creation for hundreds of thousands of words, grammar breakdowns in example sentences, language-specific study packs where available, adaptive quizzes, mobile apps, a browser extension, and community features. Give it a try now! All learning content is free with no limits on flashcards or study time.

Sottaku is built to match the habits of successful learners. By using Sottaku, you will naturally learn in the most efficient way possible, as proven by countless success stories in the language learning community.

Free Forever

Access all grammar guides, quizzes, and flashcards without paying a cent. Quality education should be accessible to everyone.

Smart SRS System

Our flashcard system uses the FSRS algorithm (also used in Anki) to optimize your review schedule and maximize retention.

Comprehensive Content

From hanzi, kana, hangul, and European vocabulary basics to grammar and reading practice where available, we have lessons for every level. Practice with quizzes tailored to your skill.

Community Chat

Ask level-appropriate questions and get help from the community. Learn together with fellow learners across all 8 supported languages.