ばらす

Japanese

Etymology

Ultimate derivation unclear. Appears from the early 1700s.

Analyzable as the regular causative / transitive form of root verb ばる (baru), from which ばれる (bareru) derives as the regular mediopassive / intransitive. Compare similar verb paradigms with root verb 明く (aku), causative / transitive 明かす (akasu), mediopassive / intransitive 明ける (akeru), Old Japanese 出づ (idu) and modern causative / transitive 出す (dasu), mediopassive / intransitive 出る (deru), Old Japanese 生ゆ (hayu) and modern 生やす (hayasu) and 生える (haeru).

Cognate with ばれる (bareru, “to be found out; to be all messed up, in disarry”), ばらばら (barabara, “all messed up, in complete disarray”, adjective, adverb). The term ばらばら (barabara) actually appears earliest in texts, starting from the late 1500s, followed by ばれる (bareru) in the late 1600s and ばらす (barasu) in the early 1700s. This suggests the possibility that the adjective / adverb came first, with the verbs then deriving from that.

Possibly related to adjective あばら (abara).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) ばらす [bàráꜜsù] (Nakadaka – [2])
• IPA^(key): [ba̠ɾa̠sɨ]

• (Kyoto) ばらす [bárású] (Kōki – [0])

Verb

ばらす or バラす • (barasu) transitive godan (stem ばらし (barashi), past ばらした (barashita))

Japanese verb pair
active	ばらす
mediopassive	ばれる

1. to decompose, to disassembly, to take something to pieces and scatter its bits

   Synonyms: ばらばらにする (barabara ni suru), 分解する (bunkai suru)

   Antonym: 組み立てる (kumitateru)

   機(き)械(かい)をばらす

   kikai o barasu

   to decompose a machine

2. to make something all scattered and messy, to mess something up, to put something into disarray

   Synonym: ばらばらにする (barabara ni suru)

3. to expose a secret, to find something out and expose it

   Synonyms: 暴く (abaku), 暴露する (bakuro suru)

   買(ばい)収(しゅう)をばらす

   baishū o barasu

   to expose the bribery

4. (slang) to kill, to slaughter

   Synonym: (occasionally read as barasu) 殺す (korosu)

   魚(さかな)をばらす

   sakana o barasu

   to kill a fish

5. to sell something off

   Synonyms: 売り払う (uriharau), 売り飛ばす (uritobasu)

6. to sell something at a low or bargain price

   Synonym: 安売りする (yasuuri suru)

7. (fishing) to release a fish from one's hook

   Synonym: (to let something go, to release something) 逃す (nogasu)

Conjugation

Conjugation of "ばらす" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
Mizenkei ("imperfective")	ばらさ	barasa
Ren’yōkei ("continuative")	ばらし	barashi
Shūshikei ("terminal")	ばらす	barasu
Rentaikei ("attributive")	ばらす	barasu
Kateikei ("hypothetical")	ばらせ	barase
Meireikei ("imperative")	ばらせ	barase
Key constructions
Passive	ばらされる	barasareru
Causative	ばらさせる ばらさす	barasaseru barasasu
Potential	ばらせる	baraseru
Volitional	ばらそう	barasō
Negative	ばらさない	barasanai
Negative continuative	ばらさず	barasazu
Formal	ばらします	barashimasu
Perfective	ばらした	barashita
Conjunctive	ばらして	barashite
Hypothetical conditional	ばらせば	baraseba

Related terms

• ばれる (bareru): (intransitive) to be discovered, to be found out; to become in disarray, to become disorganized