逃します（のがします、nogashimasu）
- to let escape

The Japanese verb 逃します, read as のがします (nogashimasu), primarily means "to miss," "to let escape," "to fail to catch," or "to lose" something. It implies the inability to obtain, capture, or experience something. It can refer to missing opportunities, losing a physical object, or failing to catch something. The core concept is about something slipping away or not being achieved. The meaning can vary based on context. 逃します also has the nuance of letting something go free, or allowing something to get away.

⚫︎ バスに逃しました。 Translation: I missed the bus. ⚫︎ チャンスを逃してしまった。 Translation: I missed the opportunity. ⚫︎ 魚を逃がしてしまった。 Translation: I let the fish get away.

You can use 逃します in various situations, such as: ⚫︎ When you missed a train, bus, or appointment. ⚫︎ When you failed to seize a good opportunity. ⚫︎ When you lost something, like your keys or a valuable item. ⚫︎ When an animal, or a person has escaped. It's often used with the particle を (o) to mark the direct object (the thing being missed or lost). The politeness level is at the -masu form, but you can also use casual forms depending on your level of relation with the speaker.

逃します is typically written in hiragana as のがします. The kanji form is 逃します. The okurigana (the hiragana after the kanji) is fixed; there are no alternative ways to write it correctly. Different conjugations exist as well as past or negative form, such as 逃した, 逃さない.

Some words with similar meanings include: ⚫︎ 逃す (nogasu) - the plain form of 逃します. ⚫︎ 見逃す (minogasu) - to overlook, to miss (seeing). ⚫︎ 失う (ushinau) - to lose (something). ⚫︎ 逃げる (nigeru) - to escape (this is the base verb form for escape).

The opposite of 逃します (to miss, to lose) could include: ⚫︎ 得る (eru) - to get, to obtain. ⚫︎ 掴む (tsukamu) - to grab, to seize. ⚫︎ 捕まえる (tsukamaeru) - to catch, to capture.

大切な書類を逃してしまいました。 ・Translation: I lost the important documents. ・Explanation: This sentence uses the past tense of 逃します to indicate that the action of losing the documents has already happened.

その映画を見たいけど、もう上映時間が終わってしまったから、逃すかもしれない。 ・Translation: I want to see that movie, but because the showtime has already ended, I might miss it. ・Explanation: The plain form of 逃す is used here because it’s a conditional statement. It illustrates the possibility of missing the movie.

The verb 逃がす, which is the dictionary form of 逃します is composed of the kanji 逃, which means "to escape" or "to flee". The suffix がす indicates a causative form, so it means "to cause something to escape" or "to let something escape." This originates the idea of letting something get away or letting something escape.