咎めます（とがめます、togamemasu）
- to reproach

The Japanese verb 咎めます 咎めます primarily means "to blame," "to rebuke," "to reprimand," or "to find fault with" someone or something. It implies a sense of disapproval and pointing out mistakes or wrongdoings. It can also mean "to hold someone accountable." The action usually involves expressing a critical opinion or taking corrective action. The subject of 咎めます is usually the person who is doing the reprimanding or blaming, and the object is the person or thing being blamed.

⚫︎ 先生は遅刻した生徒を咎めました。 Translation: The teacher reprimanded the student who was late. ⚫︎ 彼は嘘をついたことを咎められました。 Translation: He was reprimanded for lying. ⚫︎ 彼女は彼の無責任な行動を咎めました。 Translation: She criticized his irresponsible behavior.

⚫︎ 咎めます is used in formal and informal situations, but the level of formality depends on the context and relationship between the speaker and the listener. ⚫︎ It is appropriate to use in contexts like disciplinary actions, when correcting someone's behavior, or when expressing disapproval of someone's actions. ⚫︎ The tense and politeness level of the verb can be changed to suit the context, such as 咎めた (past tense), 咎めない (negative form), 咎めますか (polite question), etc. ⚫︎ When using 咎めます, it's important to consider the potential negative impact on the relationship with the other person, as it can be a harsh word.

⚫︎ The word is typically written as 咎めます in hiragana and kanji. ⚫︎ Kanji: 咎 (meaning "blame," "fault") and ます (polite verb ending) ⚫︎ Okurigana: The okurigana is typically めます. ⚫︎ Conjugations include: ⚫︎ 咎め (stem) ⚫︎ 咎める (dictionary form) ⚫︎ 咎めない (negative) ⚫︎ 咎めました (past polite) ⚫︎ 咎めて (te-form)

⚫︎ 叱ります - to scold, to tell off ⚫︎ 非難します - to criticize, to condemn ⚫︎ 責めます - to blame, to accuse ⚫︎ 小言を言います - to nag, to grumble ⚫︎ 注意します - to warn, to caution

⚫︎ 褒めます - to praise ⚫︎ 誉めます - to praise, to commend ⚫︎ 許します - to forgive ⚫︎ 容認します - to approve

彼は上司に、プロジェクトの遅延を咎められました。 ・Translation: He was reprimanded by his boss for the delay of the project. ・Explanation: This sentence demonstrates the use of 咎める in the passive voice, showing that someone is being blamed.

両親は、私が夜遅くまで外出したことを咎めました。 ・Translation: My parents rebuked me for staying out late at night. ・Explanation: This sentence illustrates a typical situation where 咎める is used within a family context.

The word 咎 (toga) originally meant "fault," "crime," or "blame". The verb 咎める is formed by adding the verb suffix める to the kanji 咎. This means "to find fault," "to blame", or "to reprimand" something or someone.