覚える

/omo₂pu/ → /omwopoju/ → /omwoɸoju/ → /omoɸoju/ → /oboɸoju/ → /oboju/ → /obojuru/ → /obojeru/ → /oboeru/

Ultimately from Old Japanese verb 思ふ (omopu, modern 思う omou, “to think (about or of something)”).^[1][2] The historical derivation is roughly as follows:

• the 未然形 (mizenkei, “irrealis form”) omopa of Old Japanese verb 思ふ (omopu, “think”, modern 思う omou) + ゆ (yu, Old Japanese verb suffix denoting intransitive, spontaneous, or passive action):

omopayu → omopoyu

The 思ほゆ (omopoyu) form is found in the Nihon Shoki and the Man'yōshū.

• contraction and regular sound changes:

omopoyu → omofoyu → obowoyu → oboyu

This change is already evident by the early Heian period.

• regular historical grammatical shifts occurring for classical 下二段活用 (shimo nidan katsuyō, “lower bigrade conjugation”) verbs:

oboyu → oboyuru → oboyeru → oboeru

This set of shifts occurred during the Kamakura and Muromachi periods.

The verb was originally used in intransitive and passive contexts, in accordance with its derivation. It began to be used in more active and transitive contexts starting from roughly the mid-Heian period, with the learn and memorize senses appearing in the Kamakura period.^[1]

• (Tokyo) おぼえる (Nakadaka – )^[2]
• IPA^(key):

覚(おぼ)える • (oboeru) transitive ichidan (stem 覚(おぼ)え (oboe), past 覚(おぼ)えた (oboeta))

1. 覚える, 憶える: to recall, to remember
   • 2003 August 12, CLAMP, “Chapitre(シャピトル).2(に) 記(き)憶(おく)の対(たい)価(か) [Chapitre 2: The Cost of Memory]”, in ツバサ ＲＥＳＥＲＶｏｉｒ ＣＨＲｏＮｉＣＬＥ [Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle], volume 1 (fiction), Tokyo: Kodansha, →ISBN, page 74:

     てめー！覚(おぼ)えてろよ——‼

     Temē! Oboetero yo——‼

     Just you wait, bitch—!!

2. 覚える: to learn

   料理(りょうり)を覚(おぼ)える

   ryōri o oboeru

   to learn to cook

3. 覚える, 憶える: to memorize

   歌(か)詞(し)を覚(おぼ)える

   kashi o oboeru

   to memorize lyrics

4. 覚える: to feel (an emotion or sense)

   違(い)和(わ)感(かん)を覚(おぼ)える

   iwakan o oboeru

   to get the sense that something is off

• (recall, remember): 思(おも)い出(だ)す (omoidasu)

• (antonym(s) of “recall, remember”): 忘(わす)れる (wasureru): to forget