落胆する

• Reading: らくたんする
• Romaji: rakutan suru
• Kanji breakdown: 落 (raku/ochi) — to fall, to drop; 胆 (tan/kimo) — gall, spirit, courage
• Pronunciation: /ɾa.kɯ.ta.ɴ.sɯ.ɾɯ/

Meaning

To be disappointed; to be discouraged; to lose heart. Used when expectations are not met and the emotional result is deflation or despair.

A Group 3 (irregular suru) compound. Unlike 失望する (shitsubō suru — to lose hope in someone or something), 落胆する focuses on the internal emotional drop — the collapse of spirit when an anticipated outcome does not materialise. It is more personal and visceral than the more abstract 失望.

Examples

1. 試験に不合格だったと知り、ひどく落胆した。 I was terribly disappointed when I found out I had failed the exam.
2. 期待していた結果が出ず、チーム全員が落胆している。 The expected results didn't come through, and the whole team is discouraged.
3. 落胆するな。失敗から学んでこそ次の成功がある。 Don't lose heart. True success comes from learning from failure.

Usage Guide

Context: emotions, results, expectations, sports, work

Tone: downcast

Origin & History

Compound of 落 (raku/ochi — to fall, to drop) and 胆 (tan/kimo — gall bladder, courage, spirit). The image is of one's spirit or courage literally dropping — a physical metaphor for emotional deflation that appears in classical Chinese medical and philosophical texts.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: General