Translation guide
How to express experiencing a loss in Japanese, covering financial, competitive, and personal contexts.
lose a game
lose a loved one
To express that a person, company, or entity has lost money or assets.
Formal and common in business contexts. Literally 'to incur a loss'.
The company suffered a big loss.
Casual and widely used for any kind of monetary loss or disadvantage.
I lost money on stocks.
Refers to being in the red, i.e., operating at a deficit. Often used as a noun.
Used for damages or losses from accidents, disasters, etc. More about harm than pure financial loss.
To express that someone lost a match, contest, or fight.
The standard verb for losing a game, match, or fight.
To express the pain of losing someone or something dear.
To express that something has caused a loss of advantage, time, or opportunity.
Also used for non-monetary disadvantages, like wasting time or missing out.
失う (ushinau) is a broad verb for losing anything (objects, trust, people). 亡くす (nakusu) is specifically for losing someone to death and carries a more emotional tone. Use 亡くす when speaking about bereavement.
I lost my wallet.
今月は赤字だ。
We're in the red this month.
The crops suffered damage from the typhoon.
We lost the match.
Very formal/literary expression for suffering a defeat. Used in news or dramatic contexts.
The army suffered a decisive defeat.
General verb for losing something or someone important. Can be used for death, trust, opportunities, etc.
He lost his family in an accident.
Specifically for losing someone to death. More empathetic than 失う.
She lost her mother when she was young.
A noun meaning 'sense of loss'. Used in psychological or emotional contexts.
He is suffering from a deep sense of loss.
You'll lose out if you buy at that store.
Means 'not worth it' or 'the loss outweighs the gain'. Used when effort or cost doesn't pay off.
This job isn't worth the trouble.
父を亡くした。
I lost my father (he passed away).
The English phrase 'suffer a loss' is often translated literally as 損失を苦しむ, but this is unnatural. Use the appropriate phrase for the context: 損失を被る for financial loss, 負ける for games, 失う for personal loss.