養う

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 養う is read as やしなう and is a godan transitive verb meaning to support a family or to cultivate an ability or habit.
• Basic usage: Both the supported people and the cultivated ability take を, as in 家族を養う and 考える力を養う.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Support and cultivation
  • It can mean providing for people materially or developing an abstract capacity through activities such as reading.
• An ongoing process
  • 養う emphasizes sustaining life or gradually developing an ability rather than a single act of help or an instant result.