指導します（しどうします、shidouしmasu）
- to guide

The Japanese verb 指導します (しどうします) means "to guide," "to instruct," "to coach," "to supervise," or "to direct." It implies providing knowledge, skills, or advice to someone or a group of people to help them learn, improve, or achieve a specific goal. It often involves a structured or formal process of teaching or training. The action focuses on the process of providing instruction or guidance. The subject is usually a person or organization providing the guidance.

⚫︎先生は学生に論文の書き方を指導します。 ・Translation: The teacher guides the students on how to write essays. ⚫︎彼は新しいチームメンバーを指導します。 ・Translation: He guides the new team members. ⚫︎コーチは選手たちのトレーニングを指導します。 ・Translation: The coach coaches the players' training.

⚫︎指導します is used in formal and informal situations. ⚫︎It is typically used when someone is offering expertise, advice, or instruction to others. ⚫︎The context is often an educational, professional, or training setting. ⚫︎The verb often takes the recipient of the instruction (the person being guided) as the direct object. ⚫︎You can use the verb in many different contexts related to teaching and mentoring. ⚫︎The verb can be used to describe the role of a teacher, a coach, or a supervisor, etc. ⚫︎The subject of the verb is usually the person or organization doing the guiding or instructing.

⚫︎The word is written as 指導します using the kanji 指導 (しどう) for "guidance" or "instruction" and the polite verb します (します). ⚫︎Hiragana: しどうします ⚫︎There is only one common way to write this verb. ⚫︎There is no variation in the okurigana. ⚫︎Conjugation: ⚫︎Present affirmative: 指導します (しどうします) ⚫︎Present negative: 指導しません (しどうしません) ⚫︎Past affirmative: 指導しました (しどうしました) ⚫︎Past negative: 指導しませんでした (しどうしませんでした) ⚫︎The stem is 指導 (しどう), and you add verb endings to this stem to conjugate the verb.

⚫︎教えます (おしえます) - to teach ⚫︎教える (おしえる) - to teach ⚫︎指南します (しなんします) - to guide; to advise ⚫︎教育します (きょういくします) - to educate; to train ⚫︎コーチします (コーチします) - to coach ⚫︎監督します (かんとくします) - to supervise; to direct ⚫︎指導します指導 - (more formal, related to management or education) ⚫︎指導 (しどう) - Guidance; Instruction; Coaching; Leadership

⚫︎While there isn't a direct antonym, words that imply a lack of guidance or instruction could be considered opposites in context. These could include: ⚫︎学習します (がくしゅうします) - to study ⚫︎独学します (どくがくします) - to study by oneself

彼は新入社員に業務の指導を指導します。 ・Translation: He guides the new employees in their work. ・Explanation: This sentence demonstrates how the verb 指導します is used in a professional context, showing that the person is providing guidance to new employees.

私は子供たちに水泳を指導します。 ・Translation: I teach swimming to the children. ・Explanation: This example shows the use of the word 指導します in a more informal context, where the speaker is teaching a skill to children.

The word 指導 is a compound word: 指 (し) means "finger" or "to point," and 導 (どう) means "to guide" or "to lead." The verb 指導します, therefore, literally means "to guide with one's finger" or "to point the way." The addition of the polite verb します (します) makes it a polite verb.