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復讐 (ふくしゅう) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

復ふく讐しゅう

ふ

く

しゅ

う

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 5,000

Meanings

1

noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', intransitive verb

revenge; vengeance

Refers to the act of retaliating for a past wrong, often with strong emotional weight. Can be used as a noun or with する to mean 'to take revenge'.

彼かれは家か族ぞくの敵かたきに復ふく讐しゅうを誓ちかった。
He swore revenge on his family's enemy.
復ふく讐しゅうするために彼かれは

何なん

年ねん

も

準じゅん

備び

し

た

。

He prepared for years to take revenge.

Written forms

復ふく讐しゅうUsage99%
Standard kanji spelling; high-frequency in news and common usage.
復ふくしゅうUsage1%
search-only kanji form
Search-only mixed kana-kanji form; not a standard spelling.
復ふく讎しゅうUsage<1%
search-only kanji form
Search-only variant; the second character is an older form of 讐.

Kanji

復restore, return to, revert
讐enemy, revenge
讎enemy, revenge

Similar words

仕し返かえし
More casual and often implies a smaller-scale payback or getting even, while 復讐 is heavier and more dramatic.
報ほう復ふく
Often used in formal or political contexts for retaliation or reprisal, whereas 復讐 is more personal and emotional.

Etymology

Compound of 復 (return, repeat) and 讐 (enemy, feud), literally 'returning enmity'. The spelling 復讎 uses an older form of 讐.