Usage patterns 〈 事こと 〉 の 被ひ 害がい に 遭あ う to fall victim to (a disaster, crime, etc.)
Many houses were hit by the typhoon damage.
被ひ 害がい が 広ひろ がる the damage spreads/expands
The flood damage is spreading.
被ひ 害がい を 防ふせ ぐ to prevent damage
Evacuating early helped prevent damage.
〈 人ひと 〉 に 被ひ 害がい を 与あた える to cause damage/harm to someone
The accident caused serious harm to the nearby residents.
Expressions 被ひ 害がい を 受う ける be damaged; suffer damage; receive damage Related words 損害 typically refers to financial or material loss, while 被害 covers a wider range of harm including physical injury and emotional damage.
災害 refers to the disaster itself (earthquake, flood, etc.), whereas 被害 refers to the resulting damage or harm caused by it.
被害 is a formal word for damage or harm, often used for large-scale or reported incidents, while ダメージ is a casual loanword covering both physical and emotional harm.
被害 refers specifically to damage or harm actually suffered (e.g. from a disaster or crime), while 害 is the general term for harm or negative effect in the abstract.
被害 is the general damage or loss a victim suffers (often financial), while 危害 specifically denotes physical or psychological harm inflicted on a person.
Don't confuse with 被害 means the damage or harm caused by an event, whereas 災害 refers to the disaster event itself, so they are easily confused but not interchangeable.
被害 refers to the damage or harm itself, while 被災 refers to the state of a person or place being affected by a disaster.
Word family· 16 criminal complaint; crime report
victim; injured party; person who suffered harm
sexual victimization; sexual abuse
stricken area; damaged area
amount of damage; cost of damage
Show 5 more Show fewer human casualties; human damage
health hazard; health damage
media victimization; trial by media
sexual harm; sexual abuse
war damage
See all 16 in Explore →
Etymology Compound of 被 (ひ , 'suffer, incur') and 害 (がい , 'harm, damage'). The meaning is transparent from its components.
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