失敗

• Reading: しっぱい
• Romaji: shippai
• Kanji breakdown: 失 (shitsu/ushina) — lose, miss; 敗 (hai/yabu) — defeat, failure
• Pronunciation: /ɕip.pa.i/

Meaning

Failure; mistake; blunder. An unsuccessful result or error in judgment.

A noun that can also be used as a する verb (失敗する, to fail). The opposite of 成功 (success). As a standalone noun, it refers to the failure itself — a mistake, blunder, or unsuccessful outcome. Common in expressions like 失敗は成功のもと (failure is the mother of success).

Examples

1. 誰でも失敗から学ぶことができます。 Anyone can learn from their failures.
2. 今回の失敗を次に生かしたいです。 I want to use this failure as a stepping stone for next time.
3. 大きな失敗も時間がたてば笑い話になります。 Even big failures become funny stories with time.

Usage Guide

Context: daily life, work, motivation

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Compound of 失 (lose, miss) and 敗 (defeat, failure). Together they create an emphatic expression of loss and defeat — a thorough lack of success.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal