持てる

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word 持てる. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word 持てる, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say 持てる in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word 持てる you have here. The definition of the word 持てる will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of持てる, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

Japanese

Kanji in this term
持
も
Grade: 3
kun'yomi

Etymology

From the regular potential conjugation of verb 持つ (motsu, “to have, to possess; to have on hand, to hold”).[1][2][3][4] The popular sense arose as a slight shift in meaning from "able to have" to something like "able to get (particularly, positive attention)".

First attested in the popular sense in a text from 1753.[1]

Pronunciation

  • Tokyo pitch accent of conjugated forms of 「もてる」
Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary
Stem forms
Terminal (終止形)
Attributive (連体形) 		もてる もてる
Imperative (命令形) もてろ もてろ
Key constructions
Passive もてられる もてられる
Causative もてさせる もてさせる
Potential - - -
Volitional もてよう もてよー
Negative もてない もてない
Negative perfective もてなかった もてなかった
Formal もてます もてます
Perfective もてた もてた
Conjunctive もてて もてて
Hypothetical conditional もてれば もてれば

Verb

持(も)てる or 持(モ)てる • (moteru) intransitive ichidan (stem 持(も)て (mote), past 持(も)てた (moteta))

  1. (colloquial) to be popular, to be well-liked by people (e.g. be popular among women)
    山(やま)田(だ)君(くん)ってさ、同(おな)じ学(がく)年(ねん)の女(じょ)子(し)には人(にん)気(き)ないけど、下(か)級(きゅう)生(せい)にはモテるんだよね。
    Yamada-kun tte sa, onaji gakunen no joshi ni wa ninki nai kedo, kakyūsei ni wa moteru n da yo ne.
    Yamada isn't very popular with the girls in his school year, but he's popular amongst the younger students.
  2. to be able to have or hold: potential form of 持(も)つ (motsu)
  3. to withstand, to endure

Usage notes

The popular sense may be encountered more commonly with the spelling モテる instead.

Conjugation

Conjugation of "持てる" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs.)
Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
Mizenkei ("imperfective") 持て もて mote
Ren’yōkei ("continuative") 持て もて mote
Shūshikei ("terminal") 持てる もてる moteru
Rentaikei ("attributive") 持てる もてる moteru
Kateikei ("hypothetical") 持てれ もてれ motere
Meireikei ("imperative") 持てよ¹
持てろ² 		もてよ¹
もてろ² 		moteyo¹
motero²
Key constructions
Passive 持てられる もてられる moterareru
Causative 持てさせる
持てさす 		もてさせる
もてさす 		motesaseru
motesasu
Potential 持てられる
持てれる³ 		もてられる
もてれる³ 		moterareru
motereru³
Volitional 持てよう もてよう moteyō
Negative 持てない
持てぬ
持てん 		もてない
もてぬ
もてん 		motenai
motenu
moten
Negative continuative 持てず もてず motezu
Formal 持てます もてます motemasu
Perfective 持てた もてた moteta
Conjunctive 持てて もてて motete
Hypothetical conditional 持てれば もてれば motereba
¹ Written imperative
² Spoken imperative
³ Colloquial potential

Derived terms

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 “持”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎ (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
  2. ^ “持てる”, in デジタル大辞泉 [Digital Daijisen]‎ (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, updated roughly every four months
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia