The Meaning of matsu [待つ] In Japanese

待つ
まつ
Romaji: matsu N5

What does 待つ mean?

Translation and Meaning

to wait, to await, to expect

Definition

待つ (matsu) means to wait or remain in a state of expectation for someone, something, or an event to occur; it covers both physically staying in place until a person or time arrives and mentally anticipating an outcome, and is used whenever action is held until a condition is met.

Type

verb (Godan verb, u-verb)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • 1. To anticipate or expect an outcome or another person’s action without immediate movement or change of state.
  • 2. To remain on standby or hold in readiness for an event, signal, or instruction.
  • 3. To postpone, defer, or suspend an action until a later moment or until conditions change.
  • 4. An imperative/exclamatory use equivalent to “hold on” or “wait a moment” in casual speech.

Etymology

待つ (matsu) descends from an Old Japanese root reconstructed as *matu; the phonetic form has been stable through classical and medieval stages of Japanese, showing regular sound developments within native Japonic vocabulary rather than borrowing from other languages.

Origin

The lexical item appears in early Japanese texts, including collections from the Nara and Heian periods, and has long been tied to social practices of waiting and hospitality; over centuries it remained a fundamental verb in daily life, administrative language, and literature as social rhythms like travel, petitions, and ceremonial timing required deliberate waiting.

Composition

  • 待 (matsu) — left component 彳 conveys motion or step, right component 寺 originally denotes ‘temple’ and here contributes semantic/phonetic value; together the character evokes staying in place or awaiting at a location, giving the modern sense ‘to wait’.

Usage

Used across registers—from casual conversation to formal speech—with polite conjugation for respectful contexts and plain forms for everyday use; commonly appears in continuous aspect to express ongoing waiting, in imperatives to ask someone to wait, and in compounds to describe systems or people who ‘stand by’ or ‘await’ events; applicable to physical lines, anticipated replies, technical standby states, and figurative delays.
💡 Tips
Think of matsu sounding like English “must”—when you ‘must’ do something, you often have to wait for the right moment; the pun helps recall that 待つ (matsu) means to wait.

Variations

  • 待機する (taiki suru) — to stand by, to be on standby (more formal/technical).
  • 待ち望む (machinobomu) — to long for, to await eagerly (stronger emotional nuance).
  • 期待する (kitai suru) — to expect or hope for (emphasis on expectation rather than physical waiting).
  • 急ぐ (isogu) — to hurry (antonym: opposite action to waiting).

Example Phrases

  • じっと信号を見つめて、車が動くのを待つ。
    jitto shingō o mitsumete, kuruma ga ugoku no o matsu.
    I stare fixedly at the traffic light and wait for the cars to move.
    Lista:
    • じっと (jitto) – motionlessly
    • 信号を (shingō o) – signal (object)
    • 見つめて (mitsumete) – looking intently
    • 車が (kuruma ga) – car (subject)
    • 動くのを (ugoku no o) – to move (object)
    • 待つ (matsu) – to wait
    In this context, 「じっと」 means to do something motionlessly, with a focused gaze; it modifies 見つめて.
  • 近くの停留所で友達を待ちながらバスを待つ。
    Chikaku no teiryūjo de tomodachi o machinagara basu o matsu.
    I’m waiting for a friend at a nearby bus stop while waiting for the bus.
    Lista:
    • 近くの (chikaku no) – nearby
    • 停留所で (teiryūjo de) – at the bus stop
    • 友達を (tomodachi o) – a friend
    • 待ちながら (machinagara) – while waiting
    • バスを (basu o) – the bus
    • 待つ (matsu) – wait
    The word 「停留所」 means bus stop and is used with で to indicate location.
  • 駅の 時刻表 を 見て 次 の 電車 を 待つ
    Eki no jikokuhyō o mite tsugi no densha o matsu
    I look at the timetable and wait for the next train.
    Lista:
    • 駅の (eki no) – station’s
    • 時刻表 (jikokuhyō) – timetable
    • を (wo) – object marker
    • 見て (mite) – see (te-form)
    • 次 (tsugi) – next
    • の (no) – of
    • 電車 (densha) – train
    • を (wo) – object marker
    • 待つ (matsu) – wait
    Core grammar: te-form chaining; Put 「時刻表」 means timetable. 「時刻表を見て」 links seeing the timetable to waiting for the next train.
  • 駅の改札前で 列を 作って 皆で 待つ。
    Eki no kaisatsu mae de retsu o tsukutte minna de matsu.
    We form a line in front of the station’s ticket gate and wait.
    Lista:
    • 駅の改札前で (Eki no kaisatsu mae de) – in front of the station’s ticket gate
    • 列を (retsu o) – the line
    • 作って (tsukutte) – making
    • 皆で (minna de) – everyone together
    • 待つ (matsu) – wait
    「列」 means line/queue; here it is used with を作って to express forming a queue in a location marked by で.
  • 今日は駅周辺のカフェで友達を待つ。
    Kyou wa eki shūhen no kafe de tomodachi o matsu.
    Today I wait for my friend at a cafe around the station.
    Lista:
    • 今日は (kyou wa) – today
    • 駅周辺 (eki shūhen) – the area around the station
    • の (no) – of
    • カフェ (kafe) – cafe
    • で (de) – at
    • 友達 (tomodachi) – friend
    • を (o) – (object marker)
    • 待つ (matsu) – to wait
    「周辺」 means the surrounding area; here it marks the area around the station in 「駅周辺のカフェ」.
待つ