対応する

• Reading: たいおうする
• Romaji: taiou suru
• Kanji breakdown: 対 (tai) — to face, oppose; 応 (ou) — to respond, answer
• Pronunciation: /ta.i.oː.sɯ.ɾɯ/

Meaning

To deal with; to handle; to correspond to. A versatile verb used for responding to situations and matching pairs.

A する verb formed from the noun 対応 (correspondence/response). Has two main uses: dealing with a situation or problem (クレームに対応する — to handle a complaint) and corresponding or matching (英語に対応する日本語 — the Japanese equivalent). Extremely common in business and customer service.

Examples

1. お客様からの質問に丁寧に対応した。 I politely handled the customer's question.
2. 緊急事態に素早く対応する必要がある。 We need to respond quickly to emergencies.
3. このアプリは複数の言語に対応している。 This app supports multiple languages.

Usage Guide

Context: business, customer service, IT

Tone: professional

Origin & History

Compound of 対 (tai, to face/oppose) and 応 (ou, to respond). Together they mean to face and respond — confronting a situation with an appropriate reaction.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: Adults

Social background: Professional