飛びます（とびます、tobimasu）
- to fly

The Japanese verb 飛びます, pronounced とびます (tobimasu), means "to fly," "to jump," "to leap," or "to take off" depending on the context. It describes the action of moving through the air or suddenly moving a distance. The meaning shifts based on the subject and the situation.

⚫︎ 鳥が空を飛びます。 Translation: The bird flies in the sky. ⚫︎ 子供たちは公園で飛びます。 Translation: The children are jumping in the park. ⚫︎ 飛行機が飛びます。 Translation: The airplane takes off.

⚫︎ Use 飛びます when describing something or someone moving through the air. ⚫︎ It can refer to the flight of birds or airplanes. ⚫︎ It can also refer to the action of jumping, leaping, or hopping by people or animals. ⚫︎ The context of the sentence will help clarify the specific meaning. ⚫︎ In a casual conversation, you may hear 飛ぶ (tobu) which is the plain form, similar to "to fly" or "to jump." ⚫︎ The polite form, 飛びます, is used in more formal settings. ⚫︎ 飛びます is the present affirmative form.

⚫︎ The basic form is written in hiragana as とびます. ⚫︎ The kanji form is 飛びます. ⚫︎ The verb stem is 飛び (tobi-). ⚫︎ The okurigana (suffix hiragana) for the plain form 飛ぶ (tobu) is "ぶ", and for the polite form 飛びます it is "びます."

⚫︎ 跳ねる (haneru) - to jump (especially with a bouncing motion) ⚫︎ ジャンプする (janpu suru) - to jump (from English "jump") ⚫︎ 舞う (mau) - to dance in the air (for birds, butterflies, etc.) ⚫︎ 離陸する (ririku suru) - to take off (for airplanes)

⚫︎ 着地する (chakuchi suru) - to land ⚫︎ 落ちる (ochiru) - to fall

風船が空に飛びました。 ・Translation: The balloon flew into the sky. ・Explanation: The verb is used to describe the balloon's movement through the air.

彼は高いところから飛び降りた。 ・Translation: He jumped down from a high place. ・Explanation: This uses the stem form of the verb to describe the action of jumping down.

The verb 飛ぶ (tobu) originates from the Old Japanese word とぶ (tobu), which meant "to fly" or "to jump." The word's meaning has remained relatively consistent over time, encompassing the general concept of movement through the air or a leap. The addition of the suffix "-masu" creates the polite form, reflecting the evolution of Japanese grammar.