Translation guide
Expresses losing a contest, battle, or struggle. Japanese uses different verbs depending on the context, such as losing a game, being beaten in a fight, or suffering a defeat in war.
The speaker or their team did not win a sports match, game, or contest.
The most common and general verb for losing a game, match, or competition. Can be used for sports, board games, video games, etc.
We lost in yesterday's game.
A more formal or literary verb for being defeated, often used in news reports or formal contexts. Emphasizes the result of a match or battle.
Expresses regret or disappointment about losing. The 〜てしまう form adds a nuance of something unfortunate happening.
We ended up losing by just one point.
Someone was physically overpowered or defeated in a fight, battle, or martial arts match.
Also used for losing a physical fight or being beaten by someone. Context makes the meaning clear.
An army, nation, or group is defeated in a military or strategic sense.
Formal noun-verb for 'suffer defeat'. Commonly used in historical or military contexts.
A candidate or party loses an election.
Specifically means to lose an election; to fail to be elected.
Being overcome by an internal struggle, such as temptation, emotion, or weakness.
Used metaphorically for losing to oneself, temptation, or hardship. Often appears as 〜に負ける.
負ける is the most common and versatile verb for losing. 敗れる is more formal and often used in writing or news for being defeated in matches, battles, or elections. 敗北する is a formal noun-verb specifically for suffering a defeat, often in military or historical contexts.
English 'be defeated' is passive, but Japanese often uses intransitive verbs like 負ける or 敗れる, which are not passive in form. Using the passive form 負けられる is grammatically possible but very rare and unnatural in most contexts.
I lost to him at chess.
日本代表は決勝でブラジルに敗れた。
The Japanese national team was defeated by Brazil in the final.
He lost the fight.
I lost in the judo match.
A colloquial and somewhat rough way to say 'get beaten' or 'be taken down'. Often used in casual speech or fiction.
I got beaten by that guy.
Passive form of 打ち負かす (to defeat). Emphasizes being thoroughly beaten or crushed. Sounds dramatic or literary.
We were utterly defeated by the enemy.
The army was defeated in battle.
Can also be used for wars or large conflicts, though less formal than 敗北する.
Japan lost the war.
Intransitive verb often used in news or historical writing for being defeated in a battle or election.
The rebel army was defeated by the government forces.
He was defeated in the election.
Used in news reports for losing an election, similar to 'suffer defeat'.
The incumbent was defeated by the newcomer.
General verb for losing, also applicable to elections in casual speech.
I lost the election.
I gave in to temptation and ate the cake.
I don't want to give in to myself (I don't want to lose to my own weakness).
Formal/literary verb meaning to yield or succumb to pressure, threats, or hardship.
He did not succumb to the threats.