Translation guide
The English verb 'abandon' covers leaving someone or something behind, giving up on a plan or activity, or surrendering to an emotion. Japanese uses different words depending on what is being abandoned and the nuance.
To desert or forsake someone, or to leave a place permanently.
To abandon or desert someone, often with a sense of betrayal or neglect. Used for people.
彼は家族を見捨てた。
He abandoned his family.
To leave someone or something behind, often physically. Can be used for people or things.
彼女は子供を車に置き去りにした。
She abandoned her child in the car.
Formal term for abandoning rights, claims, or property. Not typically used for people.
彼は相続権を放棄した。
He abandoned his inheritance rights.
To stop doing something before it is finished, or to renounce an intention.
To give up on something, to abandon hope or effort. Very common and natural.
To abandon an intention or plan, often after careful consideration. Slightly formal.
登山を断念した。
We abandoned the mountain climb.
To terminate or abandon a project, program, or event, often officially.
To let oneself be controlled by a feeling, often without restraint.
To abandon oneself to something, to give oneself over to an emotion or sensation. The noun before に indicates the feeling.
彼は悲しみに身を任せた。
He abandoned himself to grief.
喜びに身を任せて踊った。
She danced, abandoning herself to joy.
To indulge in or abandon oneself to something, often a pleasure or negative emotion. Can imply excess.
彼は酒に耽った。
He abandoned himself to drink.
To leave a vehicle, especially in an emergency or because it is no longer usable.
Used for abandoning vehicles, ships, or property in a formal or legal sense.
乗組員は船を放棄した。
The crew abandoned the ship.
To abandon a vehicle after using it, often implying leaving it somewhere. Common for cars or bicycles.
彼は車を道端に乗り捨てた。
He abandoned the car by the roadside.
諦める means giving up on a goal or hope, not physically leaving someone. For abandoning a person, use 見捨てる or 置き去りにする.
彼女は彼を見捨てた。
She abandoned him.
見捨てる emphasizes emotional abandonment or betrayal. 置き去りにする focuses on the physical act of leaving someone or something behind, often in a specific location.
そのプロジェクトは打ち切られた。
The project was abandoned.