奪います（うばいます、ubaimasu）
- to deprive

The Japanese word 奪います, pronounced うばいます, means "to steal," "to seize," "to snatch," "to take away," or "to deprive." It implies taking something away from someone, often forcefully or against their will. It can refer to physical objects, but also more abstract things like rights, freedom, or even someone's attention. The act of taking something without the owner's permission or right is central to its meaning.

⚫︎ お金を奪います。 Translation: I will steal money. ⚫︎ 犯人は銀行から現金を奪いました。 Translation: The criminal stole cash from the bank. ⚫︎ 彼は彼女の心を奪いました。 Translation: He stole her heart.

This verb is typically used in formal or neutral contexts. It's suitable for describing actions such as theft, robbery, or forcefully taking something away. It can also be used metaphorically to describe the taking of something non-physical, such as someone's attention or a position. Be mindful of the context, as the verb carries a connotation of taking something unjustly.

⚫︎The word is most commonly written with the kanji 奪 (meaning "to seize" or "to snatch"), followed by the hiragana inflection います. ⚫︎Hiragana: うばいます ⚫︎Katakana: While less common, it could be written as ウバいます, but this is rarely used. ⚫︎Variations in okurigana: The okurigana (the hiragana following the kanji) is います in the present polite form. The stem is 奪. ⚫︎Conjugation: ⚫︎Present affirmative: 奪います ⚫︎Present negative: 奪いません ⚫︎Past affirmative: 奪いました ⚫︎Past negative: 奪いませんでした ⚫︎Plain form: 奪う ⚫︎Te-form: 奪って ⚫︎Potential form: 奪える ⚫︎Passive form: 奪われる ⚫︎Causative form: 奪わせる ⚫︎Causative-passive form: 奪わせられる

⚫︎ 盗む (nusumu) - to steal (general term) ⚫︎ かすめる (kasumeru) - to snatch, to pilfer ⚫︎ 強奪する (kyoudatsu suru) - to plunder, to rob (more forceful) ⚫︎ 略奪する (ryakudatsu suru) - to plunder, to loot ⚫︎ 没収する (bussyuu suru) - to confiscate ⚫︎ 取る (toru) - to take ⚫︎ 巻き上げる (makiageru) - to extort, to fleece

⚫︎ 与える (ataeru) - to give, to grant ⚫︎ 渡す (watasu) - to hand over ⚫︎ あげる (ageru) - to give (to someone else) ⚫︎ 返す (kaesu) - to return, to give back

強盗は、金と宝石を奪い逃げました。 ・Translation: The robber stole the money and jewels and ran away. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 奪い to describe the action of the robber taking something forcefully.

その会社は、ライバルのアイデアを奪いました。 ・Translation: That company stole the rival's idea. ・Explanation: This example demonstrates the more abstract usage of 奪い, meaning they took away or appropriated someone else's idea.

The kanji 奪 itself is composed of two parts: the radical 大 (dai), meaning "big" or "great," and 寸 (sun), meaning "inch" or "moment." The combination suggests the idea of taking something away suddenly and forcefully, possibly taking a large amount in a short period. The etymology points to the act of seizure or taking control.