補おぎなう

お

ぎ

な

う

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

補う · godan verb (-u)

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	補おぎなう	補おぎなわない
Polite	補おぎないます	補おぎないません
Past polite	補おぎないました	補おぎないませんでした
Past	補おぎなった	補おぎなわなかった
Te-form	補おぎなって	補おぎなわないで
Desire	補おぎないたい	補おぎないたくない
Potential	補おぎなえる	補おぎなえない
Passive	補おぎなわれる	補おぎなわれない
Causative	補おぎなわせる	補おぎなわせない
Causative passive	補おぎなわせられるalso 補おぎなわされる	補おぎなわせられないalso 補おぎなわされない
Volitional	補おぎなおう
Polite volitional	補おぎないましょう
Imperative	補おぎなえ	補おぎなうな
Conditional	補おぎなえば	補おぎなわなければ
Tara conditional	補おぎなったら	補おぎなわなかったら

Meanings

godan verb (-u), transitive verb

supplement; make up for; compensate for; cover (a shortage); fill (a vacancy)

Broadly used for adding something to make up for a lack, deficiency, or shortfall. Can be concrete (money, supplies) or abstract (ability, effort).

足たりない分ぶんは貯ちょ金きんで補おぎなった。
I made up the shortfall with my savings.
経けい験けん不ぶ足そくを努ど力りょくで補おぎなう。
I compensate for my lack of experience with hard work.
欠けつ員いんをアルバイトで補おぎなう。
We fill the vacancy with part-time workers.

See all 72 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈物もの〉で〈事こと〉を補おぎなうto make up for something with something else
経けい験けん不ぶ足そくを努ど力りょくで補おぎなった。
He made up for his lack of experience with hard work.
栄えい養ようを補おぎなうto supplement one's nutrition
サプリメントで栄えい養ようを補おぎなっている。
I'm taking supplements to make up for missing nutrients.
弱じゃく点てんを補おぎなうto compensate for a weakness
チームは守しゅ備びの弱じゃく点てんを攻こう撃げき力りょくで補おぎなった。
The team compensated for its weak defense with strong offense.
資し金きんを補おぎなうto make up for a shortfall in funds
銀ぎん行こうからの融ゆう資しで資し金きんを補おぎなった。
We covered the funding shortfall with a bank loan.

Expressions

欠けつを補おぎなうbridge a gap; supply a lack; make up for a shortfall
短たんを補おぎなうremedy one's defects; make up for one's shortcomings
不ふ足そくを補おぎなうmake up a shortfall; cover a shortage; fill a gap

Kanji

補supplement, supply, make good

Related words· 6

埋うめ合あわせる
埋め合わせる carries a stronger sense of making amends for a mistake or loss, while 補う is neutral about simply filling a gap or shortage.
カバーN2
カバーする is a casual loanword for covering a task, role, or cost, while 補う is more formal and applies to both concrete and abstract shortfalls.
補ほ充じゅうN1
補充する specifically means to replenish stock, staff, or supplies back to a needed level, whereas 補う is broader and can cover abstract deficiencies too.
埋うめるN3
補う focuses on supplementing something that is lacking, while 埋める (in this sense) means to compensate for a loss or shortfall like a deficit.

Show 2 more

補ほ完かんN1
補う is the everyday verb for making up for a shortfall, while 補完 is a more formal, noun-based term often used in technical or business contexts.
償つぐなうN1
補う simply means to supplement or make up a deficiency without implying guilt, whereas 償う specifically implies atoning for a loss or wrongdoing.

Don't confuse with

補ほ償しょうN1
補償する is a narrower legal/financial term meaning to pay compensation for damage or loss, while 補う is a general verb for making up any kind of shortfall.
補ほ足そくN1
補足する means to add supplementary explanation or information, while 補う is used more broadly for filling shortages of resources, ability, or effort.

Word family

補おぎない
replenishment; supplement; compensation
補おぎない合あう
complement each other; make up for each other's shortcomings

Written forms

補おぎなうUsage95%
Standard kanji spelling.
おぎなうUsage5%
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially when the kanji is not needed.

Etymology

The kanji 補 means 'supplement' or 'compensate'. The verb おぎなう is a native Japanese word with the same meaning. The exact derivation of おぎなう is uncertain.