復讐|ふくしゅうfukushuu[0]heiban (flat)
This browser can't play pronunciations (needs Safari 18.4 or later, or Chrome / Edge / Firefox).
- noun, suru verb, intransitive verbrevenge
Conjugation
| Dictionary form | 復讐する(ふくしゅうする) |
|---|---|
| Polite (masu) | 復讐します(ふくしゅうします) |
| Negative (nai) | 復讐しない(ふくしゅうしない) |
| polite (masen) | 復讐しません(ふくしゅうしません) |
| classical zu / nu | 復讐せず・復讐せぬ(ふくしゅうせず・ふくしゅうせぬ) |
| Past (ta) | 復讐した(ふくしゅうした) |
| polite (mashita) | 復讐しました(ふくしゅうしました) |
| Past negative (nakatta) | 復讐しなかった(ふくしゅうしなかった) |
| polite (masen deshita) | 復讐しませんでした(ふくしゅうしませんでした) |
| Te form | 復讐して(ふくしゅうして) |
| Potential | 復讐できる(ふくしゅうできる) |
| Passive | 復讐される(ふくしゅうされる) |
| Causative | 復讐させる(ふくしゅうさせる) |
| Causative passive | 復讐させられる(ふくしゅうさせられる) |
| Conditional (ba) | 復讐すれば(ふくしゅうすれば) |
| tara | 復讐したら(ふくしゅうしたら) |
| Volitional | 復讐しよう(ふくしゅうしよう) |
| polite (mashou) | 復讐しましょう(ふくしゅうしましょう) |
| Imperative | 復讐しろ(ふくしゅうしろ) |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
- Synonym仇討ちあだうちNeutralAvenging a murdered lord or family member; carries an old samurai flavour and stresses a blood feud.
- Synonym敵討ちかたきうちNeutralAvenging one's lord or family; a staple of period dramas with a tragic, heroic colouring.
- Synonym仕返ししかえしNeutralTit for tat; common in speech and used for paybacks both petty and serious.
- Synonym報復ほうふくNeutralRetaliation in kind, mostly between states or organizations, as in 「報復措置」.
- SynonymリベンジCasualLoanword for getting a second go after a loss, mostly in sports and games, as in 「リベンジマッチ」. Colloquial; 「復讐」 is revenge driven by a grudge.
- Relatedお返しおかえしNeutralMainly a return gift, but colloquially also payback, as in 「お返しだ!」, with a light tone.
- Related雪辱せつじょくWrittenWiping out the shame of a previous defeat; leans written, common in sports reporting, and carries no blood feud.
- Related報いるむくいるNeutralVerb mainly meaning to repay, as in 「恩に報いる」「努力に報いる」; it can also mean striking back, as in 「一矢を報いる」, without the deep hatred of 「復讐」.
- Related返礼へんれいWrittenWritten word for a return gift, and by extension retaliation; mostly used for positive thanks.
- Related復仇ふっきゅうWrittenA written word for revenge, rare even in prose; simply another way of saying 「復讐」.
- Related返報へんぽうWrittenWritten word for repaying or retaliating; used for both kindness and wrongs, and lighter in tone than 「復讐」.
- Related意趣返しいしゅがえしWrittenRevenge taken to vent a long-held grudge; it centres on personal scores, while 「復讐」 can denote avenging a deep, burning hatred.
- Related意趣晴らしいしゅばらしWrittenRevenge to vent one's anger; rare even in writing, and focused on relieving the hatred in one's heart.
- Related報うむくうWrittenWritten, literary verb for repaying or retaliating; in modern speech 「報いる」 is the usual choice.
- Related仕返すしかえすNeutralColloquial verb for hitting back in kind, and also for redoing something; it stresses even, like-for-like payback.
- Antonym恩返しおんがえしNeutralPaying back a favour, the opposite of avenging a wrong, as in 「鶴の恩返し」.
- Antonym許しゆるしNeutralForgiveness; the opposite of 「復讐」, centring on letting the hatred go.
Use 「復讐」 for revenge born of deep hatred, as in 「復讐を誓う」. For getting even after a match loss, say 「リベンジ」 in speech and 「雪辱」 in writing; everyday payback is 「仕返し」, and retaliation between nations is 「報復」. For a samurai-style vendetta use 「仇討ち」. The opposites are 「恩返し」 and 「許し」.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only


