奪う

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 奪う is a godan transitive verb read うばう, meaning to take something away by force or deprive someone of an opportunity. Its connective stem is 奪い, and its past form is 奪った.
• Basic usage: It can describe a strong wave sweeping away cargo or prolonged rain depriving children of a chance to play outside.
  • 強い波が甲板の荷物を奪い去った。 says that a strong wave swept the cargo off the deck; 長雨が子どもたちから外で遊ぶ機会を奪った。 says that the continuing rain deprived the children of an opportunity to play outside.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• 荷物を奪い去る
  • 奪い去る presents the wave as taking the cargo completely away.
• 人から機会を奪う
  • から marks the people deprived, and を marks the opportunity taken from them.
• 奪う and 取る
  • 奪う strongly suggests forcible taking or deprivation of a right or chance, while 取る broadly means taking or grasping something.