Holding: the physical core of motsu
The first meaning of motsu is the one your hands understand. Motsu is a godan verb: motte is the -te form, motta the past, mochimasu the polite form. When you hold something right now, Japanese uses the progressive motte iru, because holding is a state that continues. Kaban o motte imasu means I am holding a bag, or, just as often, I have a bag with me.
The plain form motsu on its own tends to describe an action about to start: nimotsu o mochimasu, let me take your luggage, is what someone says as they reach for it. Motte ageru offers to carry something for a friend; motte moraemasu ka asks for help with a heavy load.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 荷物、持ちましょうか。 | Nimotsu, mochimashō ka. | Shall I carry your bags? |
| これ、ちょっと持っててくれる？ | Kore, chotto mottete kureru? | Can you hold this for a second? |
| 両手で持ってください。 | Ryōte de motte kudasai. | Please hold it with both hands. |
| 重いので、一人では持てません。 | Omoi node, hitori de wa motemasen. | It's heavy, so I can't carry it alone. |
| 傘を持っていますか。 | Kasa o motte imasu ka. | Do you have an umbrella with you? |
Owning and having: motsu versus aru
Motsu stretches naturally from holding to owning. Kuruma o motte iru means I have a car, and ie o motsu means to own a house. Aru also says that you have something: kuruma ga aru. The difference is the subject. With motsu the person is the subject and the thing is the object, so the sentence feels like possession; with aru the thing is the subject and the sentence feels like a fact about the world.
In practice, aru is the everyday choice for having things at home, and motte iru sounds slightly more deliberate, like a claim of ownership or of having something on you. Ask a friend jitensha motteru? and you are asking whether they own a bike. Ask pen aru? and you are asking whether there is a pen around. Motsu also takes abstract objects: kyōmi o motsu, to take an interest; shikaku o motsu, to hold a qualification; jishin o motsu, to have confidence. These pair with motsu rather than aru.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 車は持っていません。 | Kuruma wa motte imasen. | I don't own a car. |
| 日本の歴史に興味を持っています。 | Nihon no rekishi ni kyōmi o motte imasu. | I'm interested in Japanese history. |
| 自分の店を持つのが夢です。 | Jibun no mise o motsu no ga yume desu. | My dream is to have my own shop. |
| 彼は英語の資格を持っている。 | Kare wa Eigo no shikaku o motte iru. | He holds an English qualification. |
| もっと自信を持ってください。 | Motto jishin o motte kudasai. | Please have more confidence. |
Lasting and keeping: himochi and motanai
Motsu has a second life as an intransitive verb meaning to last, to hold up or to keep. Here the subject is the thing that endures: kono kēki wa mikka motsu, this cake keeps for three days. The noun himochi, literally day-holding, is what you ask about at a bakery or a souvenir shop. Himochi ga ii means it lasts well, and himochi shinai means it will not keep.
The same sense applies to objects, bodies and situations. Batterī ga ichinichi motanai, the battery does not last a day. Karada ga motanai, my body cannot take it, is a very common complaint about overwork. Kaisha ga motanai means a company cannot stay afloat. Mochi ga ii describes a durable product. The near-synonym tsuzuku describes an event continuing, whereas motsu describes something holding up against wear, time or strain: tenki ga motsu, the weather will hold.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 日持ちはどのくらいですか。 | Himochi wa dono kurai desu ka. | How long does it keep? |
| このケーキは三日くらい持ちます。 | Kono kēki wa mikka kurai mochimasu. | This cake keeps for about three days. |
| この靴は持ちがいい。 | Kono kutsu wa mochi ga ii. | These shoes last well. |
| こんな残業が続いたら体が持たない。 | Konna zangyō ga tsuzuitara karada ga motanai. | If this overtime continues, my body won't hold up. |
| 午後まで天気が持つといいね。 | Gogo made tenki ga motsu to ii ne. | I hope the weather holds until the afternoon. |
Taking responsibility and paying the bill
Two idiomatic uses of motsu appear constantly in adult life. The first is sekinin o motsu, to take responsibility. It is stronger than sekinin ga aru, which just states that responsibility exists; sekinin o motsu means someone is picking it up and carrying it. Watashi ga sekinin o mochimasu is what a manager says to a client after a mistake.
The second is paying. Watashi ga mochimasu means I will cover it, literally I will carry it. Compared with haraimasu, to pay, it focuses on who bears the cost rather than the act of handing over money, so it is the natural phrase when treating someone. Companies use the same verb: kōtsūhi wa kaisha ga mochimasu, the company covers travel expenses. The opposite is warikan, splitting the bill. Watashi ga mochimasu is polite and adult; between close friends you hear the plain ore ga motsu yo. When a superior offers, do not argue too hard: ii n desu ka, are you sure, then gochisōsama desu.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| この件は私が責任を持ちます。 | Kono ken wa watashi ga sekinin o mochimasu. | I will take responsibility for this matter. |
| ここは私が持ちます。 | Koko wa watashi ga mochimasu. | This one's on me. |
| 交通費は会社が持ちます。 | Kōtsūhi wa kaisha ga mochimasu. | The company covers travel expenses. |
| 今日は割り勘にしよう。 | Kyō wa warikan ni shiyō. | Let's split the bill today. |
| いいんですか。ごちそうさまです。 | Ii n desu ka. Gochisōsama desu. | Are you sure? Thank you for the meal. |
Motte iku and motte kuru: taking and bringing things
The -te form of motsu plus iku or kuru is how Japanese says take and bring for objects. Motte iku moves something away from the speaker's current position, and motte kuru moves it towards the speaker or towards where the speaker will be. In Japanese the direction always follows the speaker, exactly as with iku and kuru alone.
A dinner invitation shows the two viewpoints side by side. The guest says nani ka motte ikimashō ka, shall I bring something, because from the guest's position the food goes away to the host's house. The host replies tebura de kite kudasai, come empty-handed, or nomimono o motte kite kudasai, please bring drinks, because from the host's viewpoint the drinks come towards them. Both people are talking about the same bottle, and each picks the verb that matches where they stand.
Hakobu means to transport a load, often heavy or over a distance, and says nothing about the speaker's viewpoint. Tsurete iku and tsurete kuru are for people and animals, because you accompany them rather than carry them.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 明日、資料を持っていきます。 | Ashita, shiryō o motte ikimasu. | I'll take the documents with me tomorrow. |
| 何か持っていきましょうか。 | Nani ka motte ikimashō ka. | Shall I bring anything? |
| 飲み物を持ってきてください。 | Nomimono o motte kite kudasai. | Please bring drinks. |
| 傘を持ってくるのを忘れた。 | Kasa o motte kuru no o wasureta. | I forgot to bring an umbrella. |
| 犬を連れていってもいいですか。 | Inu o tsurete itte mo ii desu ka. | May I bring my dog? |
| 家まで荷物を運んでもらった。 | Ie made nimotsu o hakonde moratta. | I had my luggage carried to the house. |
O-mochi desu ka and the keigo of motsu
Motsu has a very common respectful form built from the stem: o-mochi desu ka. This is how staff ask whether you have something, without the slightly direct feel of motte imasu ka. Pointo kādo wa o-mochi desu ka, do you have a point card, is everyday retail Japanese, and it works for anything you could carry on you: a receipt, a coupon, a ticket, a passport.
Other polite patterns follow the standard keigo templates. O-mochi shimasu is the humble offer to carry something for a customer or a senior. O-mochi kudasai is the respectful request to take something with you. O-mochikaeri, from mochikaeru, to take home, is the word for takeaway. When you reply to o-mochi desu ka, you do not need keigo about yourself: hai, motte imasu, or iie, motte imasen, is enough.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ポイントカードはお持ちですか。 | Pointo kādo wa o-mochi desu ka. | Do you have a point card? |
| はい、持っています。 | Hai, motte imasu. | Yes, I do. |
| お荷物をお持ちします。 | O-nimotsu o o-mochi shimasu. | Allow me to carry your luggage. |
| こちらの資料をお持ちください。 | Kochira no shiryō o o-mochi kudasai. | Please take these documents with you. |
| 店内でお召し上がりですか、お持ち帰りですか。 | Tennai de o-meshiagari desu ka, o-mochikaeri desu ka. | Eat in or take away? |
Mochi compounds from kanemochi to mochinushi
The stem mochi builds a large family of nouns and verbs, and most keep a clear link to holding or owning. Kimochi, feeling, is the most common word on the list, and its literal sense is what the spirit holds. Kanemochi, a rich person, is literally a money-holder.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 気持ち | kimochi | Feeling, mood; kimochi ii means it feels good |
| 金持ち | kanemochi | A rich person; o-kanemochi is the polite form |
| 持ち主 | mochinushi | The owner of an object, found or lost |
| 日持ち | himochi | How long food keeps |
| 持ち物 | mochimono | Belongings, things to bring |
| 持ち帰り | mochikaeri | Takeaway; also to take work home |
| 持ち込み | mochikomi | Bringing something in, such as outside food or drink |
| 受け持ち | ukemochi | Being in charge of a class or a duty |
| 持ち歩く | mochiaruku | To carry something around with you |
| 持ち上げる | mochiageru | To lift; also to flatter someone |
| 持ち直す | mochinaosu | To recover, of health, weather or the economy |
| 長持ち | nagamochi | Lasting a long time, durable |
Mochikomi is worth remembering for travel: mochikomi kinshi on a sign means you cannot bring the item in, and kinai mochikomi tenimotsu is carry-on luggage.
Mistakes learners make with motsu
The most frequent mistake is using motte iku or motte kuru for people. Tomodachi o motte kimasu sounds like you are carrying your friend in like a parcel; say tomodachi o tsurete kimasu.
The second is using motsu where aru or iru is natural. Watashi wa ani o motte imasu is not how anyone says I have an older brother; say ani ga imasu. The third is forgetting the progressive: kasa o mochimasu ka asks whether someone is about to pick up an umbrella, not whether they have one. The question you want is kasa o motte imasu ka.
- People and animals go with tsurete iku, never motte iku
- Family members and time use iru and aru, not motte iru
- Having something on you is motte imasu, not mochimasu
- Motsu without an object means to last; with o it means to hold