報いる · ichidan verb
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | 報いる | 報いない |
| Polite | 報います | 報いません |
| Past polite | 報いました | 報いませんでした |
| Past | 報いた | 報いなかった |
| Te-form | 報いて | 報いないで |
| Desire | 報いたい | 報いたくない |
| Potential | 報いられるalso 報いれる | 報いられないalso 報いれない |
| Passive | 報いられる | 報いられない |
| Causative | 報いさせる | 報いさせない |
| Causative passive | 報いさせられる | 報いさせられない |
| Volitional | 報いよう | |
| Polite volitional | 報いましょう | |
| Imperative | 報いろ | 報いるな |
| Conditional | 報いれば | 報いなければ |
| Tara conditional | 報いたら | 報いなかったら |
ichidan verb, transitive verb, intransitive verb
Used for returning a favor, kindness, or effort with something positive. Often appears in the passive form 報われる when describing the recipient's perspective.
See also: 報われる
His efforts will be rewarded someday.
I did my best to repay the kindness.
ichidan verb, transitive verb, intransitive verb
Used for returning a wrong with a negative action; often implies a deliberate payback. Common in phrases like 恨みに報いる or 仇に報いる.
He filed a lawsuit to retaliate for the insult.
I am prepared to get revenge on my enemy.
He performed well enough to live up to the coach's expectations.
報いる can describe repaying a wrong in general, whereas 復讐 is the stronger, more dramatic word specifically for premeditated revenge.
報いる broadly means to repay kindness or wrongdoing, while 返礼 refers narrowly to giving a gift or gesture of thanks in return.
報いる is a formal or literary verb for repaying someone's kindness or deed, while 返す is the general everyday verb for paying something back.