応募します（おうぼします、ouboshimasu）
- to apply

The Japanese verb 応募します, pronounced おうぼします, means "to apply," "to enter," "to subscribe," or "to offer" in the context of job applications, contests, programs, or similar opportunities. It signifies the action of submitting an application or expressing interest in something. It is the polite, ます-form of the verb 応募する.

⚫︎新しい仕事に応募します。 Translation: I will apply for the new job. ⚫︎コンテストに友達と一緒に応募します。 Translation: I will enter the contest with my friend. ⚫︎奨学金に応募します。 Translation: I will apply for the scholarship.

⚫︎応募します is used in formal or polite situations. ⚫︎It's appropriate when speaking to someone you want to show respect to, such as a superior at work, or when writing formal letters or emails. ⚫︎The plain form, 応募する is suitable for conversations with friends, family, or in less formal settings. ⚫︎It can be used when describing your intention to apply for something, or when informing someone about your application. ⚫︎Often followed by the particle に or へ indicating where you are applying, or by the particle を if the object being applied to is a noun like "application form."

⚫︎The word is typically written with the kanji 応募 and the hiragana ます. ⚫︎応募 itself is composed of two kanji: 応(ō - to respond, to answer, to apply) and 募(bo - to solicit, to recruit). ⚫︎The okurigana (hiragana following the kanji) is します. ⚫︎Variations include the plain form 応募する, the te-form 応募して, and the past tense polite form 応募しました に応募しました.

⚫︎申し込む (もうしこむ) - to apply, to make an application (often for goods or services) ⚫︎エントリーする (enterī suru) - to enter (a contest, etc.) - a loanword from English. ⚫︎志願する (しがんする) - to apply for (a school or position) ⚫︎出願する (しゅつがんする) - to apply (usually for a school)

There isn't a direct antonym for 応募します. It depends on the context. If the opposite of applying is "not applying", then some possibilities might include: ⚫︎見送る (みおくる) - to decide against, to pass on. ⚫︎辞退する (じたいする) - to decline, to turn down.

私はその会社の求人に応募します。 ・Translation: I will apply for the job opening at that company. ・Explanation: This sentence clearly states the speaker's intention to submit an application for a job at a specific company using the polite form 応募します.

締め切りまでに、履歴書を応募します。 ・Translation: I will submit my resume by the deadline. ・Explanation: The subject "I" is implied. The sentence emphasizes the action of submitting the resume before the deadline. While the subject is not explicit, the context makes the intention clear.

The word 応募 is a compound word formed from the kanji 応(ō), meaning "to respond," "to answer," or "to apply," and 募(bo), which means "to solicit," "to recruit," or "to gather." Therefore, the etymology of 応募します reflects the concept of responding to a solicitation or an open invitation, which aligns with its meaning of applying or entering something.