#omoidasu

There was recently a hot debate on our LINE group about the difference between these two, so I thought I'd make a forum post!

First: 覚える This verb basically means "to remember" and is used to show that something has been learnt and is still in our conscious memories. The consciousness is important. As is the idea of learning. Some basic sentences that we see using 覚える 彼のことは覚えている？ Do you remember him? (lit. Can you still remember him?) I don't remember him. [彼(のこと)は]覚えてない。 先生から新しい単語を暗記しろと言われたんだけど、多すぎて、覚えられないよ！ The teacher told us to memorise some new words, but there are so many I can't remember them! (lit. I can't learn and keep them in my mind.) Some examples going from English that do not work: Do you remember me? ☓ 私を覚える？ The thing with 覚える is that it only really refers to a specific instant of learning something, then we keep it in our minds after that point. In English (if you didn't know) we use the continuous progressive tense to show something in a fixed, unchanging state, that is relevant to the current situation. In Japanese, we do the same, but just use it is used with more verbs, and is used slightly differently. Check: スーパーに行っている If we translate this into English, we get "He is going to the supermarket" but in Japanese this would be more like "He went to the supermarket and is still in the state of being in the supermarket." スーパーに行って、[まだそこに]いる So, let's bring this back to 覚える, and the phrase "Do you remember me?" The correct translation into Japanese is:

私[のこと]を覚えている?? Which basically means: Have you learnt about me and still in that state of having learnt about me?​

Go back up to the examples to check this point again.

==== Next: 思い出す ====​

OK, so We know how to use 覚える now, lets have a look at 思い出す. This one basically means: to recall So this is used much more like: Thinking, thinking, thinking, thinking, …. oh, I remember!! Some examples: A: 鍵はどこにあるか、わかる？　Do you know where the keys are? B: え～と・・・思い出せない。　Hmmmmmm… I can’t remember (recall). Of course, “B” here could have said 覚えていない, but the nuance of 思い出せない shows that he tried, but failed in bringing that particular piece of information to the forefront of his mind..! B: あ、思い出した！冷蔵校の中にあるんだ！　Ah, I just remembered. They are in the fridge! A: はっ！？ U wot?! This second example is much clearer, right? To recall something into your mind is an instantaneous thing, and here we can see that he just remembered. One thing to be careful of is this incorrect translation: I don’t recall 思い出さない This is incorrect, as the nuance here is more like “I won’t recall” as in, you have control over whether you will recall or not. A recollection is not something that we can control in Japanese, so we have to use the potential 思い出せない.

==== Summary ====​

Remember = 思い出す =Omoidasu

A light is swaying, it’s shaking, the pain is healing and quietly disappears

Wish I could forget your name, your face, your smile, your sweet embrace

I am the harm which you inflict

I don’t understand the times that don’t decrease 

Fat and docile, big and dumb, they look so stupid, they aren’t much fun

(cows aren’t fun) 

sdkfjh This is a first ;u; umm ummmm Hmmmm 

I’m a good listener.

I am honest.

I can handle money well.

I am thoughtful. 

I remember trivial things that can make people happy (I hope) 

I thought it would be easy but it turned out a bit harder than I expected. OwO;;;