直す

Do Over

Level 2Sounds Like naosu

Use 〜直す（なおす） when you need to 'do something over' because the first attempt wasn't good enough, had a mistake, or the situation changed. It focuses on correcting or improving the outcome.

How It Works

The suffix 〜直す（なおす） is a highly productive compound verb ending used to express the act of repeating a volitional action with a specific purpose: to rectify a mistake or to reach a better state.

1. Construction:
It attaches to the ます-stem of verbs:

  • Group 1 (u-verbs): 書き（かき） + 直す = 書き直す (rewrite)
  • Group 2 (ru-verbs): 見（み） + 直す = 見直す (look over/review); 出（で） + 直す = 出直す (come back again/start over)
  • Irregular: する → し直す (redo); 来る（くる） → 来直す（きなおす） (come again)

2. Conjugation Rule:
Once the suffix is attached, the entire compound verb always conjugates as a Group 1 (u-verb), regardless of what the original verb was. For example, even though 見る is a Group 2 verb, 見直す conjugates like a Group 1 verb (e.g., 見直さない, 見直した).

3. Transitivity:
The transitivity of the resulting compound verb is determined by the base verb. While 直す itself is transitive, if the base verb is intransitive, the compound remains intransitive. For example, 出直す is intransitive because its base verb 出る is intransitive.

4. Nuance of Correction:
Unlike simply saying 'again' (using また or もう一度), 〜直す implies that the first time was 'broken' or 'wrong.' For example, 温め直す (reheat) is used because the food became cold (an undesirable state) and needs to be 'fixed' back to being hot.

5. Mental Actions:
It is frequently used with verbs of thinking, such as 考え直す (reconsider/think over), indicating a change of mind or a deeper look at a previous decision.

6. Limitations:
It generally only attaches to volitional verbs (actions you control). You cannot 'redo' being somewhere or 'redo' understanding something using this specific suffix.

Examples (4)

  1. 漢字を間違えたので、作文を書き直しました。

    I made a mistake with the kanji, so I rewrote the essay.

    Word by Word: Kanji (object) made mistake because, essay (object) wrote-fixed.

    Here, 書き（かき） becomes 書き直す（かきなおす） because the original version contained errors.

  2. スープが冷めたので、温め直してください。

    The soup got cold, so please reheat it.

    Word by Word: Soup (subject) got cold because, warm-fix please.

    Even though there wasn't a 'mistake,' the state of the soup is no longer ideal, so it must be 'fixed' by heating it again.

  3. もう一度、計画を考え直してみます。

    I will try to reconsider the plan once more.

    Word by Word: One more time, plan (object) think-fix try-see.

    Using てみる with 考え直す（かんがえなおす） shows the speaker is willing to re-evaluate their previous thoughts.

  4. 一度失敗しましたが、やり直すチャンスをください。

    I failed once, but please give me a chance to start over.

    Word by Word: One time failed but, do-fix chance (object) give please.

    やり直す（やりなおす） is one of the most common uses of this pattern in daily life.

Common Mistakes

  • Attaching to the dictionary form instead of the ます-stem.

    書く直す
    書き直す

    Compound verbs in Japanese almost always require the first verb to be in its ます-stem form.

  • Confusing the kanji for 'fix' (直す) with 'heal' (治す).

    書き治す
    書き直す

    While both are read as なおす, 治す is strictly for curing illnesses or injuries. For redoing actions, always use 直す.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

直すLevel 2Do Over

Learn This First

To use '直す' as a suffix meaning 'to do over,' you must first know how to conjugate verbs into their stem form (the 'ます form' without the 'ます'). This requires knowledge of verb groups and basic conjugation rules.

Words in This Pattern

直す