答え (こたえ) Japanese meaning

答え (こたえ) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

Kanji

答solution, answer
応apply, answer, yes
報report, news, reward

Related words

返へん事じN4sense 1
返事 is a reply to a person's message or request, while 答え covers both such replies and correct solutions to problems.
回かい答とうN3sense 1
回答 is a formal, often written response to an official inquiry or survey, whereas 答え is the everyday word for any answer.
解かい答とうN3sense 2
解答 refers specifically to the solution of a test or academic problem, a narrower and more formal sense than the general 答え.
解かい
答え is the everyday word for an answer, while 解 is more formal and typically used in mathematical or academic problem-solving.
正せい解かいN2
答え is the plain, everyday word for 'answer' regardless of correctness, while 正解 stresses that the answer is the right one.

Opposites

質しつ問もんN5sense 1
質問 is the question being asked, the natural opposite of 答え, the answer given to it.
謎なぞN2
答え is the solution or answer, the opposite of 謎, which is the unsolved question itself.
問といN3
答え is the answer given in response to a 問い, making them a natural question-answer pair.

Don't confuse with

応ごたえ sense 1
答え means an answer or solution, while 応え (same pronunciation) means a response or effect, as in 手応え (a feeling of response); they are easily confused because of the identical reading.
応いらえ
答え (こたえ) is the standard word for an answer to a question, while 応え (いらえ) is a separate, more literary word meaning a reply or response, even though the same kanji 応え can also be read こたえ.

Word family

答こたえるN5
answer; reply; respond
受うけ答こたえ
reply; response; answer
口くち答ごたえN1
talking back; retort; backtalk

Written forms

答こたえUsage83%
Standard modern spelling for both a reply and the answer or solution to a problem.
答こたえUsage15%
Okurigana-less form; seen especially in compact writing, headings, educational contexts, or fixed-looking labels.
こたえUsage2%
応こたえUsage<1%
Less general than 答え; tends to suggest a response to a call, expectation, stimulus, or demand rather than a school-style solution.

Etymology

Nominal form of the verb 答える／応える, 'to answer' or 'to respond.' The spelling 答え is the standard general spelling; other kanji spellings reflect narrower response-related nuances.

答こたえ

Meanings

Usage patterns

Expressions