Meaning
負 covers three closely linked meanings: to lose in a competition, to bear or carry a burden, and to owe a debt or obligation. All three orbit the same image — someone pressed down by a weight they cannot escape, whether that weight is defeat, heavy responsibility, or money owed.
The character's structure makes this concrete. 負 combines 人 (person) above 貝 (shell). In ancient East Asia, cowrie shells functioned as currency. Picture a person bent under a pile of shells — debt loaded onto their back. From that image of carrying financial obligation, the meaning spread to cover any kind of load, and eventually to bearing the weight of defeat in a contest.
負 has 9 strokes and appears in Grade 3 of Japanese elementary school, taught around age 8 or 9. Its radical is 貝 (shell), which runs through many kanji tied to money and value: 財 (wealth), 買 (buy), 費 (expense), 貯 (save). Spotting this radical group helps you navigate the kanji vocabulary for finance and commerce.
In modern Japanese, 負 turns up across a wide range of everyday contexts. Sports commentary reaches for 負けた (maketa — lost). Business writing uses 負債 (fusai — debt). Conversations about daily pressure rely on 負担 (futan — burden). Accident reports cite 負傷 (fushō — injury). Even math class needs it: 負の数 (fu no kazu — negative number).
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
負 has one on'yomi: フ (fu). This reading appears in compound words (熟語, jukugo) and covers the more formal, abstract senses — defeat, debt, burden, mathematical negativity. When 負 appears inside a multi-character compound, フ is nearly always the reading.
- 負傷 (fushō) — injury, wound (literally "bearing damage")
- 負債 (fusai) — debt, liability (literally "bearing a financial burden")
- 負担 (futan) — burden, load, charge (one of the most frequently used compounds)
- 勝負 (shōbu) — match, contest, showdown (combining win 勝 and lose 負)
- 自負 (jifu) — pride, self-confidence (bearing pride within oneself)
- 抱負 (hōfu) — ambition, aspiration (goals you embrace and carry with you)
- 正負 (seifu) — positive and negative (used in mathematics and physics)
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
負 has three kun'yomi readings, each capturing a different facet of the character's meaning.
ま(ける) — makeru: The most common kun'yomi in everyday speech, meaning to lose in a game, debate, or comparison. In shopping contexts it also means to give a discount — the seller "loses" a small margin to offer a better price. You will hear this word constantly in sports broadcasts and casual conversation.
- 負ける (makeru) — to lose, to be defeated
- 負け犬 (make-inu) — a loser (literally "losing dog"); colloquial
- 負け惜しみ (make-oshimi) — sour grapes; refusing to accept defeat gracefully
お(う) — ou: To bear, carry on one's back, or take on responsibility. Used physically (hiking with a heavy pack) and figuratively (owning a mistake, sustaining an injury). This reading most directly reflects the original image of a person carrying shells — the oldest and most literal meaning of 負.
- 負う (ou) — to bear, to carry, to sustain (as in an injury)
- 背負う (seou) — to carry on one's back; to shoulder a burden
- 責任を負う (sekinin wo ou) — to bear responsibility for something
ま(かす) — makasu: The transitive counterpart of まける. Where まける means "I lost," まかす means "I defeated someone else." Less common in casual speech, it appears in competitive contexts and literature.
- 負かす (makasu) — to defeat, to beat (someone)
- 相手を負かす (aite wo makasu) — to defeat one's opponent
- 誰にも負かさない (dare ni mo makasanai) — I will not let anyone beat me
Common Words & Compounds
Key words featuring 負, grouped by theme.
Competition and Sports
- 勝負 (shōbu) — match, contest, showdown; pairing win (勝) and lose (負) into a single word for competition itself
- 負け (make) — a loss, a defeat; the standalone noun for the result of losing
- 負け犬 (make-inu) — a loser in colloquial speech
- 負け惜しみ (make-oshimi) — sour grapes; being a sore loser
Burden and Responsibility
- 負担 (futan) — burden, load, financial charge; one of the most essential words using 負
- 自己負担 (jiko futan) — out-of-pocket expenses; common in medical and insurance contexts
- 背負う (seou) — to carry on one's back; to shoulder a burden, literally or figuratively
Finance and Debt
- 負債 (fusai) — debt, liability; the financial core of 負
- 負の遺産 (fu no isan) — negative legacy; liabilities inherited rather than assets
Injury and Physical Strain
- 負傷 (fushō) — injury, wound; frequent in sports and accident news
- 傷を負う (kizu wo ou) — to sustain a wound, to be injured
Pride and Personal Goals
- 自負 (jifu) — professional pride, self-confidence; a positive sense of owning your achievements
- 抱負 (hōfu) — ambition, aspiration; especially common around New Year in Japan
Mathematics and Science
- 正負 (seifu) — positive and negative (numbers or electrical charges)
- 負の数 (fu no kazu) — negative number
Example Sentences
昨日の試合でチームが負けてしまった。
Kinō no shiai de chīmu ga makete shimatta.
Our team ended up losing yesterday's match.
どんな困難にも負けないで頑張ろう！
Donna konnan ni mo makenaide ganbarō!
Let's keep going without giving in to any difficulty!
彼女は重い荷物を背負って山を登った。
Kanojo wa omoi nimotsu wo seotte yama wo nobotta.
She climbed the mountain carrying heavy luggage on her back.
会社は多額の負債を抱えている。
Kaisha wa tagaku no fusai wo kakaete iru.
The company is carrying a large amount of debt.
子育ての費用は家族にとって大きな負担だ。
Kosodatte no hiyō wa kazoku ni totte ōkina futan da.
The cost of raising children is a great burden for the family.
彼はサッカーの試合で足に負傷を負った。
Kare wa sakkā no shiai de ashi ni fushō wo otta.
He sustained an injury to his leg during the soccer match.
さあ、今日こそ勝負を決めよう！
Sā, kyō koso shōbu wo kimeyō!
Alright, let's settle this match today once and for all!
彼は自分の仕事に強い自負を持っている。
Kare wa jibun no shigoto ni tsuyoi jifu wo motte iru.
He takes strong professional pride in his work.
新年の抱負は何ですか？
Shinnen no hōfu wa nan desu ka?
What are your goals and aspirations for the New Year?
Memory Tip
Picture a weary person (人) hunched forward, a giant sack of shells (貝) — ancient currency — strapped to their back. Their knees buckle under the debt. They shuffle along, falling further behind in a race, too weighed down to keep up. That single image captures all three core meanings at once: physically carrying something (おう), crushed by debt (負債), and losing the race (負ける). Shells on the back = 負.