Japanese

うなずく
Meaning: to nod; to bow one's head in agreement
Part of Speech: Verb

Listen to pronunciation

Show inflections Hide inflections

Verb inflections

Form Affirmative Negative
Present 頷く 頷かない
Polite 頷きます 頷きません
Past 頷いた 頷かなかった
Polite + Past 頷きました 頷きませんでした
Te-form 頷いて 頷かなくて
Potential 頷ける 頷けない
Passive 頷かれる 頷かれない
Causative 頷かせる 頷かせない
Causative + Passive 頷かされる 頷かされない
Imperative 頷け 頷くな

Handwriting

頷
く

Example sentences

She quietly nodded to my proposal.
彼の問いに、彼女は静かに頷いた。
To his question, she nodded silently.
彼は、ふんふんと頷きながら話を聞いていた。
He listened to the story, nodding 'uh-huh'.
彼は友人の苦衷を察して、黙って頷いた
Sensing his friend's inner distress, he nodded silently.

Usage Notes

To move the head up and down to show agreement, understanding, or acknowledgment.

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.