勉強します（べんきょうします、benkyoushimasu）
- to learn

The Japanese word 勉強します [勉強します] means "to study" or "to learn." It refers to the act of acquiring knowledge, skills, or understanding through dedicated effort, usually involving reading, practice, and concentration. It's a versatile verb that encompasses a broad range of activities related to learning. The word implies a conscious effort to improve one's knowledge or abilities. In some cases, 勉強します [勉強します] can also mean "to work hard" or "to make an effort."

⚫︎ 日本語を勉強します。 Translation: I study Japanese. ⚫︎ 毎日数学を勉強します。 Translation: I study math every day. ⚫︎ 試験のために一生懸命勉強します。 [勉強します] Translation: I study hard for the exam.

⚫︎ Use 勉強します [勉強します] when you are talking about the act of studying or learning something. ⚫︎ It can be used with a subject (e.g., 日本語 - Japanese, 数学 - math) to specify what you are studying. ⚫︎ You can use adverbs like 一生懸命 (isshookenmei - hard) or たくさん (takusan - a lot) to indicate the intensity or amount of study. ⚫︎ The verb conjugates according to tense and politeness level (e.g., 勉強しました - studied, 勉強しますか - will you study?). ⚫︎ You can also use it to encourage someone to study. For instance, "頑張って勉強してね!"(Ganbatte benkyou shite ne!) which means "Do your best and study hard!"

⚫︎ The base form of the word is written in kanji as 勉強 and pronounced "benkyou." ⚫︎ The verb ending, します [します], is written in hiragana. ⚫︎ 勉強します [勉強します] can also be written in romaji (roman letters) as "benkyou shimasu."

⚫︎ 学ぶ (manabu) - to learn (more formal) ⚫︎ 学習する (gakushuu suru) - to study/learn (academic context)

There is no direct antonym, however, one could say the opposite of studying is: ⚫︎ 遊ぶ (asobu) - to play, to have fun.

来週のテストのために、毎日夜に勉強します。 ・Translation: I study every night for next week's test. ・Explanation: This sentence illustrates how 勉強します [勉強します] is used to describe regular study habits. The phrase 来週のテストのために (for next week's test) explains the reason for studying.

新しい言語を勉強するのは楽しいです。 ・Translation: Studying a new language is fun. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 勉強します [勉強します] in a general statement about the enjoyment of studying. The subject is a new language.

The word 勉強 [勉強] is a combination of two kanji: ⚫︎ 勉 (ben) - means "to make an effort" or "to strive." ⚫︎ 強 (kyou) - means "strong" or "to be strong." Therefore, the original meaning of 勉強 [勉強] is closer to "making a strong effort" or "diligence," which eventually developed to mean "to study."