後悔します（こうかいします、koukaishimasu）
- to regret

The Japanese word 後悔します (こうかいします) means "to regret" or "to feel remorse." It expresses a sense of sorrow, disappointment, or dissatisfaction about a past action, decision, or situation. It implies a recognition that something could have been done differently, and that the outcome would have been better. 後悔します often reflects a wish that the past could be changed.

⚫︎ あの時、もっと勉強すればよかったと後悔しています。 Translation: I regret that I didn't study harder back then. ⚫︎ 自分の決断を後悔しています。 Translation: I regret my decision. ⚫︎ 言わなければよかったと後悔しました。 Translation: I regretted that I said it.

⚫︎ 後悔します is used when you want to express regret about something that has already happened. ⚫︎ It's often used in situations where you believe you made a mistake, missed an opportunity, or caused a negative outcome. ⚫︎ It can be used in both formal and informal conversations, but the level of formality might influence the sentence structure (e.g., using polite form: 後悔します or plain form: 後悔する). ⚫︎ The tense of the verb changes depending on the timing of your feeling: ⚫︎ 後悔します - I regret (present) ⚫︎ 後悔しました - I regretted (past) ⚫︎ 後悔するだろう - I will regret (future - less common as a direct expression) ⚫︎ You can use 後悔します to describe your own regrets, or, less commonly, to describe the regrets of others.

⚫︎ The word is typically written with the kanji 後悔 (こうかい) followed by the polite verb suffix します. ⚫︎ The hiragana reading is こうかいします. ⚫︎ The kanji 後 means "behind," "after," or "later," and 悔 means "regret" or "remorse". ⚫︎ There are no other common ways to write this word. The okurigana is standard, with します following 後悔. ⚫︎ You might also see the plain form 後悔する. ⚫︎ You might also see 後悔し+ a part of the conjugation, for example 後悔しない or 後悔した.

⚫︎ 反省する (はんせいする) - to reflect on one's actions; to repent (Often used for reflection and self-improvement rather than pure regret.) ⚫︎ 残念に思う (ざんねんにおもう) - to feel regret; to be disappointed (This emphasizes the disappointment, and it is less strong than 後悔します) ⚫︎ 悔やむ (くやむ) - to regret (a more formal and literary word.) ⚫︎ 後悔の念 (こうかいのねん) - feeling of regret. (noun expression, which means more or less the same thing as 後悔します)

⚫︎ There aren't direct antonyms, but words that express the opposite feeling might include: ⚫︎ 満足する (まんぞくする) - to be satisfied ⚫︎ 喜ぶ (よろこぶ) - to be glad, to rejoice ⚫︎ よかった - it was good (when you do not regret anything)

試験で良い点が取れなかったことをとても後悔します。 ⚫︎ Translation: I really regret not getting a good score on the exam. ⚫︎ Explanation: This sentence expresses regret about the outcome of the exam. The speaker wishes they had studied harder.

もっと早く行動すればよかったと後悔しました。 ⚫︎ Translation: I regretted that I didn't act sooner. ⚫︎ Explanation: The speaker is expressing regret about a past action (or inaction) and its consequences. They feel that if they had acted earlier, the situation would have been better.

⚫︎ 後悔 (こうかい) is a compound word. ⚫︎ 後 (こう) means "behind," "after," or "later," it suggests that the feeling of regret comes after the event. ⚫︎ 悔 (かい) means "regret" or "remorse". ⚫︎ します is the polite form of the verb "to do" (する), which is added to make the word a verb.