容赦|ようしゃyousha[1]atamadaka (head-high)
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Definitions
- noun, suru verb, transitive verbpardon; forgiveness; tolerance; overlooking
- noun, suru verb, transitive verbleniency; mercy; going easy (on someone)
Conjugation
| Dictionary form | 容赦する（ようしゃする） |
|---|---|
| Polite (masu) | 容赦します（ようしゃします） |
| Negative (nai) | 容赦しない（ようしゃしない） |
| polite (masen) | 容赦しません（ようしゃしません） |
| classical zu / nu | 容赦せず・容赦せぬ（ようしゃせず・ようしゃせぬ） |
| Past (ta) | 容赦した（ようしゃした） |
| polite (mashita) | 容赦しました（ようしゃしました） |
| Past negative (nakatta) | 容赦しなかった（ようしゃしなかった） |
| polite (masen deshita) | 容赦しませんでした（ようしゃしませんでした） |
| Te form | 容赦して（ようしゃして） |
| Potential | 容赦できる（ようしゃできる） |
| Passive | 容赦される（ようしゃされる） |
| Causative | 容赦させる（ようしゃさせる） |
| Causative passive | 容赦させられる（ようしゃさせられる） |
| Conditional (ba) | 容赦すれば（ようしゃすれば） |
| tara | 容赦したら（ようしゃしたら） |
| Volitional | 容赦しよう（ようしゃしよう） |
| polite (mashou) | 容赦しましょう（ようしゃしましょう） |
| Imperative | 容赦しろ（ようしゃしろ） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym許すゆるすNeutralA verb meaning to forgive or to allow; the broadest in range and the most common everyday choice of this group.
- Synonym許しゆるしNeutralNoun for forgiveness or permission; common in speech, as in 「許しを請う」 (begging forgiveness).
- Synonym赦免しゃめんWrittenWritten/formal: pardoning of crimes or penalties; a legal and religious term, tied to 「恩赦」 (amnesty).
- Synonym勘弁かんべんNeutralColloquial: sparing or letting someone off; mostly 「勘弁してください」 when pleading to be let off.
- Synonym免罪めんざいWrittenWritten/formal: lifting guilt or sin rather than everyday forgiveness; cf. 「免罪符」 (indulgence).
- Synonym堪忍かんにんNeutralColloquial for bearing with and forgiving someone; typically 「堪忍してください」 when begging to be let off. 「容赦」 usually appears as 「容赦なく」, i.e. showing no mercy.
- Synonym寛恕かんじょWrittenWritten/formal: forgiveness; used chiefly to apologize in letters, as in 「ご寛恕ください」.
- Synonym海容かいようWrittenWritten/formal: magnanimous forgiveness of another's faults or rudeness; epistolary apology wording, as in 「ご海容のほど」.
- Synonym宥恕ゆうじょWrittenWritten/formal and rare, with a solemn tone; also serves in apologies, as in 「ご宥恕ください」.
- Synonym仮借かしゃくWrittenWritten/formal: pardon; usually in the negative 「仮借なく」 (without mercy). Also a linguistics term for a phonetic loan character.
- Synonym免じるめんじるNeutralVerb: to exempt or excuse from a duty or penalty, often out of regard for someone, as in 「顔に免じて」.
- Synonym情け容赦なさけようしゃNeutralMercy and leniency in one; usually in the strong phrase 「情け容赦もない」 (utterly merciless).
- Synonym差し許すさしゆるすWrittenVerb: to permit or forgive; dated written language, rarely used today.
- Related許容きょようNeutralPermitting or tolerating; stresses the range of what is allowed, as in 「許容範囲」.
- Related情けなさけNeutralSympathy and compassion rooted in human feeling rather than pardon; show mercy with 「情けをかける」.
- Related酌量しゃくりょうWrittenWritten/formal legal term: weighing circumstances in deciding treatment, as in 「情状酌量」.
- Antonym厳罰げんばつNeutralAntonym: severe punishment, the opposite of going easy on someone.
- Antonym断罪だんざいWrittenAntonym, written/formal: convicting or condemning a crime, the opposite of pardoning.
「容赦」 is mostly used in negative forms to mean showing no mercy, as in 「容赦なく攻める」 and 「容赦しない」; 「ご容赦ください」 politely asks for understanding. For everyday forgiveness, 「許す」 is the default. To beg to be let off, say 「勘弁」 or 「堪忍」; in apologetic letters, use 「ご寛恕」. Standing opposite is 「厳罰」, severe punishment.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
Kanji in this word
English equivalents
