報復|ほうふくhoufuku[0]heiban (flat)
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Definitions
- noun, suru verb, intransitive verbretaliation; revenge; reprisal; retribution私は彼に報復するつもりだ。↗I will take my revenge on him.
- noun, suru verb, intransitive verb, lawretorsion; retortion
Conjugation
| Dictionary form | 報復する（ほうふくする） |
|---|---|
| Polite (masu) | 報復します（ほうふくします） |
| Negative (nai) | 報復しない（ほうふくしない） |
| polite (masen) | 報復しません（ほうふくしません） |
| classical zu / nu | 報復せず・報復せぬ（ほうふくせず・ほうふくせぬ） |
| Past (ta) | 報復した（ほうふくした） |
| polite (mashita) | 報復しました（ほうふくしました） |
| Past negative (nakatta) | 報復しなかった（ほうふくしなかった） |
| polite (masen deshita) | 報復しませんでした（ほうふくしませんでした） |
| Te form | 報復して（ほうふくして） |
| Potential | 報復できる（ほうふくできる） |
| Passive | 報復される（ほうふくされる） |
| Causative | 報復させる（ほうふくさせる） |
| Causative passive | 報復させられる（ほうふくさせられる） |
| Conditional (ba) | 報復すれば（ほうふくすれば） |
| tara | 報復したら（ほうふくしたら） |
| Volitional | 報復しよう（ほうふくしよう） |
| polite (mashou) | 報復しましょう（ほうふくしましょう） |
| Imperative | 報復しろ（ほうふくしろ） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym復讐ふくしゅうNeutralRevenge on whoever did the harm, usually driven by personal enmity, as in 「復讐を誓う」; 「報復」 is also common for strikes back between states or organizations.
- Synonym仇討ちあだうちNeutralVengeance for a murdered lord or family member, now old-fashioned, as in 「仇討ち物語」; 「報復」 is the modern, formal term.
- Synonym敵討ちかたきうちNeutralOld-fashioned vengeance on those who harmed you or your family; 「報復」 is the modern, formal term.
- Synonym仕返ししかえしCasualEveryday colloquial word for getting back at someone, tit for tat; 「報復」 is the more formal choice.
- SynonymリベンジCasualColloquial loanword for getting your own back or having another go, as in 「リベンジマッチ」; 「報復」 is more formal and carries open hostility.
- Relatedお返しおかえしCasualColloquial: returning a favour or gift, but also payback, as in 「お返しだ」; 「報復」 is more formal and hostile in tone.
- Related反撃はんげきNeutralA counterattack in response to an enemy's attack, as in 「反撃に出る」; 「報復」 puts the weight on striking back afterwards to pay back the damage.
- Related雪辱せつじょくWrittenWritten: wiping out a defeat by winning the rematch, as in 「雪辱を果たす」; 「報復」 stresses a hostile strike back.
- Related報いるむくいるNeutralVerb covering both repaying kindness, as in 「恩に報いる」, and retaliating; 「報復」 is only the hostile sense.
- Related復仇ふっきゅうWrittenWritten and rare, meaning revenge; in daily speech use 「復讐」. 「報復」 centres on striking back after suffering damage.
- Related返報へんぽうWrittenWritten word for requiting—returning a favour or repaying a wrong—so it can be positive or negative; 「報復」 is only the hostile side.
- Relatedしっぺ返ししっぺがえしCasualColloquial for hitting straight back on the spot, as in 「しっぺ返しを食う」; 「報復」 sounds more formal.
- Related意趣返しいしゅがえしWrittenWritten: revenge taken to vent a private grudge; 「報復」 is not limited to personal grudges and covers states and organizations.
- Related意趣晴らしいしゅばらしWrittenWritten: settling a score to vent spite; 「報復」 is broader, covering not just private grudges but state or organizational action.
- Related報うむくうWrittenVerb much like 「報いる」, for repaying or retaliating, but old-fashioned; 「報復」 is only the hostile sense.
- Related仕返すしかえすNeutralVerb for paying someone back, also for redoing something; 「報復」 is more formal and works for personal and state-level cases alike.
- Antonym恩返しおんがえしNeutralAntonym: repaying kindness rather than taking revenge, as in 「鶴の恩返し」; it stands opposite 「報復」 on the revenge–gratitude axis.
Use 「報復」 for striking back after an attack or loss, often by states or organizations, as in 「報復措置」 or 「報復関税」. For personal revenge say 「復讐」; in casual speech, 「仕返し」. To speak of vindicating a defeat, use 「雪辱」 or 「リベンジ」. The antonym is 「恩返し」, repaying a favour.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
- 仕返しをすること。
Kanji in this word
English equivalents
