How to say "losing" in Japanese

• 負けまけJLPT N3approx.Common
  nounLosing or defeat in a game, match, or contest. This is the everyday word when the sense is being beaten by an opponent rather than misplacing something, as in a loss in chess or a lost battle.
  どっちに転ころんでも君きみの負まけだよ。↗

  Either way, you lose.
• 落としおとし
  nounCovers dropping something or losing it in that way; the gloss also gives simply 'losing'. It is less common than 負け and is often best understood through its 'dropping' sense rather than as a general word for loss.
• 逸失いっしつ
  noun, suru verb, transitive verbLosing something, or the loss of it; a less common, formal-flavored word for failing to keep possession of something. Rarely the word learners reach for in everyday conversation when they mean they have lost something.
• 忘失ぼうしつ
  noun, suru verb, transitive verbForgetting or losing; matched to 'losing' through the forgetting sense. It is a less common word, and for simply misplacing or losing an object it is seldom what you want; it really concerns loss through forgetting.

Use 「負け」 for losing a game or contest; for losing things, 「落とし」 covers dropping, 逸失 covers loss of something, and 忘失 covers losing through forgetting.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 負けまけdefeat
• 落としおとしdropping
• 逸失いっしつlosing (something)
• 忘失ぼうしつforgetting