手柄|てがらtegara[3]odaka (tail-high)

1. nounachievement; feat; meritorious deed; distinguished service
   悪人あくにんでも手柄てがらは認みとめてやれ。↗

   Give credit where credit is due.

• Synonym功績こうせきWrittenContributions to society or an organization; formal, often used in commendations. 「手柄」 is a specific deed you accomplish and is common in everyday speech.
• Synonym偉業いぎょうWrittenGreat, outstanding achievements or undertakings, as in 「偉業を成し遂げる」; stresses how great the accomplishment is. 「手柄」 is credit earned, great or small.
• Synonym功名こうみょうWrittenWinning fame through a deed, as in 「功名心」; stresses the renown earned by the deed. 「手柄」 stresses the deed or credit itself.
• Synonym功こうWrittenAs いたわり it mainly means consideration or comforting others; it can also mean toil or merit, but that sense is rare — say 「手柄」 in daily life.
• Synonym勲いさおFormalAn archaic, elegant word for meritorious service; seldom used alone in modern Japanese. For everyday talk of deeds accomplished, use 「手柄」.
• Synonym偉勲いくんFormalA written word for great feats of merit only; very rare. 「手柄」 covers deeds large and small and is the everyday choice.
• Synonym功業こうぎょうWrittenA written word for enterprises notable for their distinguished achievements; rare. 「手柄」 centers on the credit earned and is common in daily use.
• Synonym偉烈いれつFormalA written word for outstanding feats of merit; little used today. In everyday speech say 「手柄」 or 「功績」.
• Synonym事績じせきWrittenA written word for undertakings accomplished and the merits they earned; rare. 「手柄」 is a particular deed of credit and is common in daily use.
• Synonym大功たいこうWrittenA written word for great deeds of merit only; very rare. 「手柄」 covers deeds great or small and is the everyday word.
• Synonym功勲FormalA written word for meritorious deeds; very rare. For credit earned in daily life, use 「手柄」.
• Related業績ぎょうせきWrittenResults achieved in work or research, also a company's business performance. 「手柄」 is credit earned by a person or team, not sales or business results.
• Antonym失態しったいWrittenA blunder that costs one face or damages one's standing; mostly written. It is the opposite of 「手柄」 in the sense of merit versus fault.
• Antonym失敗しっぱいNeutralFailure or messing something up; the most common word of all. It stands opposite to 「手柄」 in terms of success and failure — 「手柄」 is credit for a deed accomplished.

Say 「手柄を立てる」 when you accomplish something and earn credit. In written prose, use 「功績」 for contributions, 「業績」 for work results, and 「偉業」 for great achievements. For blunders, say 「失敗」 or 「失態」.

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

1. 功名こうみょう。功績こうせき。
2. 腕前うでまえ。技量ぎりょう。
3. ききめ。効果こうか。