配ります（くばります、kubarimasu）
- to distribute

The Japanese verb 配ります （くばります） means "to distribute," "to hand out," "to deliver," or "to pass around." It implies the act of giving something to multiple people or locations. The object being distributed can be anything from documents and food to information or even roles. The focus is on the act of giving something to several recipients or locations. It suggests that something is being shared or given out to a group or place.

⚫︎ 先生はテストを配りました。 Translation: The teacher distributed the tests. ⚫︎ チラシを駅前で配っています。 Translation: They are handing out flyers in front of the station. ⚫︎ 食べ物をみんなに配りましょう。 Translation: Let's distribute the food to everyone.

⚫︎ 配ります is used when you are giving something to several people or places. ⚫︎ It implies that the distribution is for multiple recipients. ⚫︎ The context usually clarifies the type of object being distributed. For example, if you say お菓子を配ります, you are distributing sweets. ⚫︎ The subject of 配ります is often someone in a position of authority or responsibility, like a teacher, a company, or a person in charge. But, anyone can perform it. ⚫︎ You can use it in various formal and informal situations.

⚫︎ This word is written in hiragana as くばります. ⚫︎ The kanji is 配ります. ⚫︎ The okurigana is standard, with the kanji 配 followed by ります for the polite form. ⚫︎ The different conjugations of 配ります include: * Present affirmative: 配ります * Present negative: 配りません * Past affirmative: 配りました * Past negative: 配りませんでした * Te-form: 配って * Conditional form: 配れば

⚫︎ 渡します (わたします) - to hand over; to pass (e.g., a single item) ⚫︎ 与えます (あたえます) - to give; to grant (more formal, can imply giving something abstract, like permission or influence) ⚫︎ 配布します (はいふします) - to distribute (formal, often used for documents or materials) ⚫︎ 分ける (わける) - to divide, to share (but not always for distribution)

⚫︎ There isn't a single perfect antonym, as the opposite action depends on the context. However, actions that would indicate the opposite of distributing could include: ⚫︎ 集める (あつめる) - to collect; to gather ⚫︎ 回収する (かいしゅうする) - to collect; to retrieve ⚫︎ 受け取る (うけとる) - to receive

試験の結果をクラス全員に配ります。 ・Translation: I will distribute the test results to all the students in the class. ・Explanation: This sentence illustrates the action of giving something (test results) to multiple people (students).

新しいパンフレットを各家庭に配ることになりました。 ・Translation: It has been decided to distribute the new pamphlets to each household. ・Explanation: This example explains the plan to deliver some documents to each household.

The kanji 配 itself means "to distribute," "to allocate," "to arrange," or "to assign." It is composed of the radical 酉 (bird) and 己 (oneself, or relating to self). The combination implies the idea of dividing or distributing something. The verb form comes from the combination of the kanji 配and the Japanese verb suffix ります.