How do you say "catch" in Japanese?

捕まえる

tsukama eru

Verb Kanji

In Japanese, "catch" is 捕まえる (tsukama eru).

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Pronunciation

Tsu-ka-ma-e-ru is five syllables long, said briskly with the stress leaning slightly on 'ka', not on the final vowels.

Writing and usage

捕まえる is written using kanji. It's a verb, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.

Example sentence

彼はボールをキャッチしようと走った。

kareha booru wo kyatchi shiyouto hashitsu ta.

He ran to catch the ball.

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How to remember 捕まえる

Tsukamaeru hides 'tsukamu' (to grab) inside it — think of grabby hands snatching the ball out of the air.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

Questions about 捕まえる

How do you pronounce 捕まえる?

Tsu-ka-ma-e-ru is five syllables long, said briskly with the stress leaning slightly on 'ka', not on the final vowels.

Is 捕まえる formal or casual?

捕まえる is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is 捕まえる written in Japanese?

捕まえる is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as tsukama eru.

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Catch" in other languages

Curated by Callan Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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