How to Say ‘Applied (past)’ in Japanese
応募した
oubo shi ta
[oh-boh shee tah]
💬 Usage Tip: [応募した] is the past form of [応募する], so in a question like this it means "applied." Japanese often uses past here when asking about the action you already took: [なぜ応募したのですか] = "Why did you apply?"
Phrase Breakdown
応募
oubo
[oh-boh]
application (job); applying
Noun meaning “application” (often for a job). Very common in interviews: 応募する = to apply.
この会社に応募した理由を教えてください。
Please tell me the reason you applied to this company.
し
shi
[shee]
did (connected form of ‘to do’)
し is the stem of する. With た, it makes past tense: した = “did.”
応募したきっかけは何ですか。
What prompted you to apply?
た
ta
[tah]
past tense marker
た marks past tense. 応募した = “applied.”
先月この会社に応募したばかりです。
I just applied to this company last month.
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