負う

• 読み: おう
• ローマ字: ou
• 漢字の分解: 負 (fu/o) — bear, lose, owe
• 発音: /oː/

意味

To bear; to owe; to take on (responsibility, injury, debt). Carrying a burden on oneself.

A Group 1 (godan) transitive verb conjugated with the う row. Used for bearing responsibility (責任を負う), sustaining injuries (傷を負う), owing a debt (借金を負う), and carrying something on one's back (子供を背に負う). Distinct from 追う (to chase). Often appears in formal or written contexts. The passive 負われる is rarely used; instead, patterns like 負わされる (to be made to bear) are common.

例文

1. 事故で大きな傷を負ってしまった。
2. このプロジェクトの責任は私が負う。
3. 会社は多額の借金を負っている。

使い方ガイド

場面: responsibility, legal, business

トーン: serious

起源と歴史

The kanji 負 combines 貝 (shell, ancient currency) and a person bending under weight. Originally depicted carrying valuable goods on one's back — the weight of obligation.

文化的背景

時代: Ancient

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal