JLPT N3 · Verb

負う (ou)

負う (おう, ou) is a Japanese verb meaning “to carry on one's back; to bear”. It appears in JLPT N3 vocabulary lists and is marked as a common word in JMdict.

Reading: おう
Romaji: ou
Word class: Godan verb (う-verb) ending in う
Level: JLPT N3 (unofficial)

Meaning

to carry on one's back; to bear; to shoulder · godan verb, transitive
to take (responsibility); to assume; to accept; to bear (the blame, costs, etc.); to have (a duty, obligation, etc.) · godan verb, transitive
to suffer (an injury); to sustain (a wound); to receive; to incur (a loss, damage, etc.) · godan verb, transitive
to owe (a debt of gratitude to); to be indebted to · godan verb, transitive · as ...に負う
to have (something) behind one; to be backed by · godan verb, transitive

Example sentences

負うた子に教えられて浅瀬を渡る。

A child on your back may guide you across a ford.

Tatoeba #84286

これについては私がすべて責任を負います。

I will accept full responsibility for this.

Tatoeba #218735

彼は致命傷を負った。

He suffered a fatal wound.

Tatoeba #102211

Sentences from the Tatoeba project, linked to this word in JMdict.

Conjugation of 負う

Godan verb (う-verb) ending in う. Plain and polite forms below; try any other word in the Japanese verb conjugator.

Form	Japanese	Reading
Dictionary	負う	おう ou
Polite (~masu)	負います	おいます oimasu
Negative	負わない	おわない owanai
Polite negative	負いません	おいません oimasen
Past	負った	おった otta
Polite past	負いました	おいました oimashita
Negative past	負わなかった	おわなかった owanakatta
Te-form	負って	おって otte
Potential	負える	おえる oeru
Passive	負われる	おわれる owareru
Causative	負わせる	おわせる owaseru
Volitional	負おう	おおう oou
Imperative	負え	おえ oe
Conditional (~ba)	負えば	おえば oeba

Kanji in 負う

負

defeat, negative, -フ・ま.ける・ま.かす · 9 strokes

Related words

Other vocabulary sharing a kanji with 負う.

負けるまけるto lose負けまけdefeat勝負しょうぶvictory or defeat背負うせおうto carry on one's back負債ふさいdebt負傷ふしょうinjury負担ふたんburden負かすまかすto defeat

Source: JMdict entry 1497930 (EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0). Level: unofficial JLPT list – how levels are assigned.