返答

• 読み: へんとう
• ローマ字: hentou
• 漢字の分解: 返 (hen) — return, send back; 答 (tou) — answer, reply
• 発音: /hen.toː/

意味

Reply; answer; response. A response given to a question, request, or communication.

Slightly more formal than 返事 and closer in register to 回答 or 応答. 返答 often implies a verbal or written response to a specific question or challenge and can carry the nuance of an explanation or justification. Common constructions include 返答に窮する (to be at a loss for an answer), 返答を避ける (to avoid answering), and 明確な返答 (a clear response).

例文

1. 突然の質問に返答に窮し、彼はしばらく黙ったまま立っていた。
2. 何度問い合わせても返答がなく、対応の遅さに苛立ちを感じた。
3. 明確な返答を求める書面を送ったが、一週間経っても連絡がない。

使い方ガイド

場面: correspondence, business, conversation, negotiation

トーン: neutral

起源と歴史

Sino-Japanese compound. 返 means to return, 答 means to answer — together expressing the act of sending an answer back in response to communication received.

文化的背景

時代: Modern

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal