負います（おいます、oimasu）
- to bear

The Japanese verb 負います, read as おいます, primarily means "to bear," "to be burdened with," "to shoulder," or "to take responsibility for" something. It implies taking on a physical or emotional weight, obligation, or debt. It can also mean to suffer from or be injured by something. The subject of the verb is typically the person or entity taking on the burden or responsibility. The word often carries a sense of duty, obligation, or consequence.

⚫︎彼は大きな責任を負っています。 Translation: He is carrying a large responsibility. ⚫︎私はその事故の責任を負います。 Translation: I will take responsibility for that accident. ⚫︎彼は怪我を負いました。 Translation: He sustained an injury.

⚫︎This verb is used in formal and polite situations, often in the ～ます form (負います). ⚫︎It is applicable when discussing responsibilities, debts, obligations, injuries, or burdens. ⚫︎It can be used to express an acceptance of blame or an acknowledgement of a problem. ⚫︎Pay attention to the context to understand if it refers to a physical burden, a debt, an emotional responsibility, or an injury.

⚫︎The verb is written in kanji as 負います. ⚫︎The reading is おいます. ⚫︎The okurigana (the kana that follows the kanji) is います. ⚫︎It conjugates like a regular godan verb, for example, 負い, 負う, 負え, 負おう, etc.

⚫︎担う（になう） - To carry on one's shoulders; to shoulder. ⚫︎引き受ける（ひきうける） - To accept; to take on. ⚫︎担当する（たんとうする） - To be in charge of; to be responsible for. ⚫︎背負う（せおう） - To carry on one's back. ⚫︎被る（かぶる） - To suffer; to be subjected to (used for negative consequences).

⚫︎There isn't a single direct antonym for 負います, as the meaning depends heavily on the context. However, words that express relieving a burden or avoiding responsibility can function as antonyms in a loose sense. Words like 放す（はなす, to release), 免れる（まぬがれる, to escape from), or 避ける（さける, to avoid) could be considered related antonyms.

彼は会社の借金を負って、大変苦労しました。 ・Translation: He carried the company's debt and went through a lot of hardship. ・Explanation: The sentence illustrates how he took on the financial burden and its emotional impact.

彼は戦いで傷を負い、病院に運ばれました。 ・Translation: He was injured in the battle and was taken to the hospital. ・Explanation: This example shows the use of 負う to indicate sustaining a physical injury.

The verb 負う (and thus 負います) comes from the verb 負う which initially referred to physically carrying something on one's back. The kanji 負 itself conveys a sense of burden or obligation, and over time, the meaning expanded to include emotional and abstract burdens, responsibilities, and even injuries or debts.