仇を返す

• Reading: あだをかえす
• Romaji: ada wo kaesu
• Kanji breakdown: 仇 (kyū/ada) — enemy, harm, grudge; 返 (hen/kae) — return, repay
• Pronunciation: /a.da.o.ka.e.sɯ/

Meaning

To return evil for good; to repay a kindness with harm; to retaliate against a benefactor. A strongly negative set phrase.

A compound expression using 仇 (ada, harm/enemy) and 返す (kaesu, to return). The full form is often 恩を仇で返す — 'to repay a favour with enmity' — and is considered one of the most morally reprehensible acts in Japanese social ethics. The shorter form 仇を返す retains this sense of betrayal. Used when someone who has received help turns against their benefactor.

Examples

1. 長年支援してくれた恩人に仇を返すような裏切りは、決して許されない。 The kind of betrayal that repays a long-time benefactor with harm is utterly unforgivable.
2. 助けてくれた仲間に仇を返した彼は、組織から完全に排除された。 He repaid those who had helped him with treachery and was completely cast out of the organisation.
3. 恩を仇で返す人間には二度と関わらないと、彼女は固く決意した。 She resolved firmly never again to associate with anyone who repays kindness with hostility.

Usage Guide

Context: ethics, literature, daily life, social commentary

Tone: negative

Origin & History

仇 (ada) originally meant an enemy or a grudge in classical Japanese. 返す (kaesu) means to return or give back. The phrase captures the moral inversion of returning hostility where gratitude was owed.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical

Generation: Adults

Social background: General