Sections
泣くNaku: what it means in anime
なく · naku
to cry; to shed tears; to weep
Naku means "to cry" or "to weep". 泣かないで is "don't cry", and 泣いてるの？ is "are you crying?".
Updated November 2, 2026
Where you hear it
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アハハ 何 お前 泣いてんの？
NANAEpisode 1 · 11 lines in episodes 1–3 -
そうだった 子供が泣かない世界
Spy x FamilyEpisode 1 · 7 lines in episodes 1–3 -
家族が死ぬのが怖くて 泣いてたんだ
The Promised NeverlandEpisode 2 · 6 lines in episodes 1–3
From the Japanese subtitles · how we count
Usage and nuance
Spy x Family's Loid works for 子供が泣かない世界, "a world where children don't cry". In Nana a friend teases 何お前泣いてんの？, "what, you're crying?", and The Promised Neverland's children cry because 家族が死ぬのが怖くて, they are afraid of losing family.
泣き虫 (nakimushi), literally "crying bug", is "crybaby". 泣ける means "it makes you cry", the word fans use for a tear-jerker episode.
The homophone 鳴く (naku) is for animals: birds sing, cats meow and dogs bark with 鳴く.
Hear 泣く in NANA11 lines in episodes 1–3 · tappable subtitles · free, no account