招きます（まねきます、manekiまsu）
- to invite

The Japanese word 招きます (pronounced まねきます, romanized as "manekimasu") is a polite, formal form of the verb "to invite" or "to beckon." It implies a sense of extending an invitation or welcoming someone to a place or event. It can also mean "to cause" or "to bring about" in a more abstract sense, such as causing a result. The word expresses respect and courtesy towards the person being invited. The basic form is 招く (maneku) and 招きます is the polite masu-form.

⚫︎パーティーに友達を招きます。 Translation: I will invite my friends to the party. ⚫︎新しい家に彼らを招きます。 Translation: I will invite them to the new house. ⚫︎彼はトラブルを招きました。 Translation: He brought about/caused trouble.

⚫︎招きます is used in formal situations or when speaking to someone you want to show respect to (such as superiors, elders, or strangers). ⚫︎ It is appropriate for inviting people to events, meetings, or gatherings. ⚫︎ It can also be used to describe causing or bringing about a certain situation, though this usage might be slightly less common. ⚫︎ Replace it with the plain form 招く (maneku) when speaking to close friends, family or people younger than yourself.

⚫︎ This word is typically written with the kanji 招, followed by the hiragana きます, creating 招きます. ⚫︎ The base form is 招く (maneku). ⚫︎ The okurigana is standard.

⚫︎ 誘います (sasoi-masu) - To invite, to lure (less formal than 招きます, can imply a casual invitation.) ⚫︎ 招待します (shōtai-shimasu) - To invite (formal) ⚫︎ 呼ぶ (yobu) - To call, to summon, to invite (less formal)

⚫︎ There isn't a direct single antonym for 招きます. However, the opposite of inviting someone would be *not* inviting them or excluding them.

明日の会議に山田さんを招きます。 ・Translation: I will invite Mr. Yamada to tomorrow's meeting. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 招きます to politely indicate that Yamada-san is being invited to the meeting.

事故は大きな損害を招きました。 ・Translation: The accident brought about/caused great damage. ・Explanation: This sentence uses the past tense of 招きます - 招きました to explain that the accident caused a result.

The kanji 招, which is the root of the word, means "to beckon," "to summon," or "to invite." The word has been used in Japanese for a long time, evolving from the original meaning of calling someone with a gesture or sound to the broader meanings we see today. The meaning of 招きます is derived from the meaning of the kanji.