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to read (a book, text, etc.)
本を読む
to read a book
新聞を読む
to read the newspaper
to read aloud
子供に絵本を読む
to read a picture book aloud to a child
to read (understand) a situation or person's feelings
空気を読む
to read the room (understand the atmosphere)
'読む' is often used with objects like '本' (book), '新聞' (newspaper), and 'メール' (email).
'読む' is a transitive verb, so it requires a direct object (e.g., '本を読む').
From Old Japanese 'yomu', meaning 'to read' or 'to understand'.
The verb '読む' is a common transitive verb used for reading written material. It can also be used figuratively to describe understanding a situation or person's feelings.