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Kanji Detail for 負 - "to owe, to carry"

負

  • Meaning

    負 means "to owe, to carry." Also associated with to lose.

    1. Lose - To be defeated; to suffer loss.

    2. Bear - To carry on one's back; to shoulder.

    3. Owe - To be indebted; to be obligated.

    4. Rely - To depend on; to count on.

    5. Negative - Minus; the negative side.

  • Words using 負

    • 負担 ふたん Listen burden; load; responsibility
    • 勝負 しょうぶ Listen victory or defeat; match; contest
    • 負け まけ Listen defeat; loss; losing (a game)
    • 負債 ふさい Listen debt; liabilities
    • 抱負 ほうふ Listen aspiration; ambition; plan
    • 負傷 ふしょう Listen injury; wound
    • 負う おう Listen to carry on one's back; to bear; to shoulder
    • 負い目 おいめ Listen (feeling of) indebtedness; feeling obliged

  • Four-character idioms with 負

    • 一六勝負 いちろくしょうぶ Listen gambling on whether the throw of a die will produce a "one" or a "six"; gambling with dice; gambling
    • 真剣勝負 しんけんしょうぶ Listen fighting with real swords; game played in real earnest

  • Origin of 負

    A person 人 bent over 貝, shell-money: someone shouldering a debt. "To carry" and "to lose" share the character — the loser is the one left holding the burden.

    How to remember it: A person stooped under a purse 貝 of debt — carrying it, and thereby losing.

    Sources: en.wiktionary.org · mojinavi.com

  • Tattoo check: 負

    • Verified meaning: to owe, to carry
    • Official Jōyō kanji — a standard character every Japanese reader recognises
    • Also carries these associations: to lose

    A single kanji rarely maps one-to-one onto an English word. Read the meanings and associations above as a set — a character that fits the dictionary definition can still carry a connotation you did not intend.

  • Dictionary Citations

    The meaning above is based on the following sources:

    KANJIDIC2 A comprehensive Japanese-English kanji dictionary

    defeat; negative; -; minus; bear; owe; assume a responsibility

    Unihan Unicode Han Database for CJK characters

    load, burden; carry, bear

    CC-CEDICT A Chinese-English dictionary

    to bear; to carry (on one's back); to turn one's back on; to be defeated; negative (math. etc)

    Make Me a Hanzi Open-source Chinese character data

    load, burden; to carry, to bear

    XSZD Xuéshēng Zìdiǎn (學生字典) - Student's Dictionary

    To rely on. Having something to rely on at one's back so there is no fear. Such as saying 負嵎之勢 (relying on a strategic position), 負固不服 (relying on strongholds and refusing to submit). Also being arrogant because of one's talent is called 自負不凡 (considering oneself extraordinary). | To carry. Carrying on the back is called 負. Such as 負劍 (carrying a sword on the back), 負版 (carrying documents on the back). | To betray. Receiving a loan and not repaying is called 負. Such as saying 負債 (in debt). In mathematics, negative numbers are called 負數 (negative numbers), also from this meaning. All cases of receiving someone's favor and being unable to repay are called 負. Such as 負心 (ungrateful), 辜負 (let down). Feeling ashamed and having nothing to say to someone is called 負負無可言 (deeply ashamed with nothing to say). Appears in "History of the Later Han." | To be defeated. Such as saying 勝負 (victory and defeat).

  • Onyomi

    tip

    fu(フ) フ

  • Kunyomi

    tip

    ma.keru(ま-ける) ま-ける

    maka.su(ま-かす) ま-かす

    o.u(お-う) お-う

  • Strokes

    tip

    9 strokes

  • Radical

    tip

    貝 (kai・kaihen・kogai)

  • Related Keywords

    to carry to lose to owe negative rely minus bear burden debt defeat depend disadvantage failure liability shoulder setback loss

Sentences including 負

  • This task is too much for him.

  • I think it impossible for us to beat him.

  • It is strange that he should have lost the game.

  • He was injured in the accident.

  • I don't know whether i will win or lose.

  • It doesn't matter whether you win or not.

  • Our team lost.

  • That's your funeral.

  • I will answer for the result.

  • She was carrying the baby on her back.

Sentences from Japanese classical masterpieces

More kanji with the radical 貝 (kai・kaihen・kogai)

See all kanji with this radical →

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