びる
-like, Looking, Feeling, With an air of, To become
Structure
［い］Adjective［
Noun + びた + Noun
［い］Adjective［
Used with a limited set of expressions:
・Common:
おとなびる・おとなびた
古びた
ひなびた
・Uncommon/sometimes used in literary language:
田舎びた
物寂びる
・Generally not used in modern language:
ひねこびる
神さびる
おさなびる,
Explanation
The verb びる, much like めく, functions only as a suffix. As a る-Verb, its meaning can be conveyed as 'to appear (A)', 'to seem (A)', or 'to take on the qualities of (A)'. びる carries a formal nuance and is used with a restricted number of words.
This suffix is typically added to nouns or, in some cases, the stem of an い-Adjective.
- このお寺はとても古びている。This temple looks very ancient.
- 彼の考え方は、年にしては少し幼びている。For his age, his way of thinking is a bit immature.
- 彼はまだ高校生なのに、とても大人びて見える。Even though he's still a high school student, he looks very mature.
- 彼の話し方は少し田舎びているが、そこが魅力的だ。His way of speaking is a bit rustic, but that's what's charming about him.
びる expresses the speaker's impression that something has the look or feel of (A), an observation usually based on appearance. Because it functions as a descriptive verb, びる becomes びた when it directly modifies a noun that follows.
- 物置から、古びた白黒写真を見つけた。I found an old-looking black and white photo in the storage shed.
- あの子は、時々大人びた表情をするので驚かされる。That child sometimes makes such a mature-looking expression that it surprises me.
Fun Fact
You can think of びる and めく as being conceptually related to さ, the suffix which turns adjectives into nouns that express a degree or state. The key difference is that びる and めく transform a word into a verb that means 'to exhibit the traits of (A)', or 'to have developed the traits of (A)' in its past tense form.
Examples
弟はまだ小学生なのに、言うことだけは妙に大人びている。
My younger brother is still in elementary school, but the things he says are strangely mature.
次の旅行では、都会のホテルではなくひなびた温泉旅館に泊まってみたい。
For my next trip, I want to try staying at a rustic hot spring inn instead of a city hotel.
真美：「この古びた写真、だれ？」
健太：「ああ、それは若い頃の祖父だよ。格好いいだろ？」
Mami: 'Who's in this old-looking photo?'
Kenta: 'Oh, that's my grandfather when he was young. Cool, right?'
え、先輩って僕より年下だったんですか？！すごく大人びて見えたので、てっきり年上かと…。
What? You were younger than me, senpai?! You looked so mature, I was sure you were older...
小説：「屋根裏の隅で、埃をかぶった古びた人形がこちらを見ていた。」
A novel: 'In the corner of the attic, a dusty, antiquated-looking doll was staring this way.'
作家：「よく編集者に驚かれるんですが、この幼びた字を書くのが私なんです。」
Author: 'My editor is often surprised, but the person who writes in this childlike handwriting is me.'
あんなに洗練された服を着ているのに、田舎びた訛りがあるのが面白いね。
It's interesting how, despite wearing such sophisticated clothes, they have a country-like accent.
一見するとひなびた無人駅だが、朝のラッシュ時には通勤客で溢れかえる。
At first glance it's an unmanned station with a rustic feel, but during the morning rush hour it's overflowing with commuters.
この古びた椅子、ただの中古だと思ったら、有名なデザイナーの作品で五十万円もするらしい！
I thought this old-looking chair was just secondhand, but apparently it's a piece by a famous designer and costs 500,000 yen!
新しい部長はずいぶん幼びて見えるが、仕事の手腕は確かだそうだ。
The new department manager looks quite youthful, but I hear his business skills are the real deal.
小説：「男は田舎びて見えるが、その目は狼のように鋭かった。」
A novel: 'The man looked like a country bumpkin, but his eyes were as sharp as a wolf's.'
物語の冒頭：「霧の中に浮かぶその古びた城は、荘厳な雰囲気を漂わせていた。」
The story's opening: 'Floating in the midst of the fog, the ancient-looking castle gave off a solemn atmosphere.'
小説：「祖父が残した宝の地図は、ずいぶんと古びたものだった。インクは滲み、羊皮紙は黄ばんでいた。」
Novel: 'The treasure map that my grandfather left behind was a truly antiquated thing. The ink was blurred, and the parchment had yellowed.'