悔いる

• Reading: くいる
• Romaji: kuiru
• Kanji breakdown: 悔 (kai/ku) — regret, remorse
• Pronunciation: /kɯ.i.ɾɯ/

Meaning

To repent; to regret; to rue. Expresses deep remorse over a past action or decision, with a sense of lasting guilt.

A Group 2 (ichidan) verb meaning to feel profound regret for something one has done. More introspective and emotionally weighty than 後悔する, 悔いる often implies a lingering, unresolved guilt rather than mere disappointment. Commonly appears in literary and formal contexts, and in the fixed expression 悔いを残す (to leave regrets behind).

Examples

1. 今になって若い頃の軽率な行動を悔いている。 Only now do I deeply regret the reckless actions of my youth.
2. 彼は死ぬまでその選択を悔いていたと言われる。 He is said to have regretted that choice until the day he died.
3. 悔いても取り返しのつかないことがある。 There are things that no amount of regret can undo.

Usage Guide

Context: literature, introspection, philosophy, religion

Tone: solemn

Origin & History

From Old Japanese 悔ゆ (kuyuru), related to 悔やむ (kuyamu). The kanji 悔 depicts a heart (忄) troubled by something, conveying the inward nature of regret.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical

Generation: Adults

Social background: Universal