敗北（はいぼく、haiboku）
- defeat

The Japanese word 敗北, pronounced はいぼく (haiboku), means "defeat," "loss," or "beating." It refers to the state of being defeated in a competition, battle, game, or any other type of contest. It implies a failure to achieve a goal or win against an opponent. The word carries a sense of having been overcome or subjugated. It's often used in formal or more serious contexts. It can also be a noun for an act or instance of losing.

⚫︎チームは試合に敗北した。 Translation: The team suffered a defeat in the match. ⚫︎彼は激しい戦いの末に敗北を喫した。 Translation: He suffered defeat after a fierce battle. ⚫︎敗北の責任は監督にある。 Translation: The responsibility for the loss lies with the coach.

敗北 is used to describe the outcome of contests or conflicts where one side has lost. It is a more formal word than some other words for losing (like 負ける (makeru)). Use it when you want to emphasize the fact of losing, often in a serious or official context. You can use it in conversations about sports, wars, elections, or any situation where a winner and loser are clearly defined.

⚫︎The word is typically written in kanji as 敗北. ⚫︎The reading in hiragana is はいぼく. ⚫︎There are no other common ways to write this word. ⚫︎There is no variation in okurigana.

⚫︎負け (make) - Loss, defeat (more casual) ⚫︎負ける (makeru) - To lose ⚫︎敗れる (yabureru) - To be defeated, to be defeated (more formal) ⚫︎失敗 (shippai) - Failure

⚫︎勝利 (shōri) - Victory, win ⚫︎勝つ (katsu) - To win ⚫︎成功 (seikō) - Success

そのサッカーチームは、強豪相手に敗北を喫しました。 ・Translation: That soccer team suffered a defeat against a strong opponent. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 敗北 to describe the outcome of a soccer match, emphasizing the loss.

選挙で敗北した候補者は、敗因を分析した。 ・Translation: The candidate who lost the election analyzed the reasons for the defeat. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 敗北 in the context of an election to describe the result for a losing candidate.

⚫︎敗 (hai) - means "defeat", "failure" ⚫︎北 (boku) - means "running away", in the context, it emphasizes the retreating of an army. ⚫︎Therefore, the word 敗北 combines the concepts of defeat and being driven back or retreating.