Readings: ハイ (Onyomi), やぶ-れる, やぶ-る (Kunyomi)
Meaning: defeat, lose, failure, be beaten, broken
Formed from 貝 (shell/money, indicating value or loss) and ⺅ (a component related to ‘decay’ or ‘destruction’). Originally meant to break or tear, especially fabric, and later evolved to mean defeat or failure, implying a loss of integrity or status.
View JLPT N3 Kanji ListHow to Write – Stroke Order
The kanji 敗 (hai, yabureru) is written with 11 strokes. It starts with the 貝 (shell/money) radical on the left, followed by the 右 (right) component on the right. The strokes are generally written from top to bottom and left to right. Pay attention to the correct order of the strokes within each component, especially the order for 貝 and the two horizontal strokes in 右.
Kanji Details
| Radical | 貝 |
|---|---|
| Strokes | 11 |
| JLPT Level | N3 |
| Grade | S |
Readings with English Transcription
Onyomi (Chinese readings)
- ハイ (Hai)
Kunyomi (Japanese readings)
- やぶれる (yabu-reru)
- やぶる (yabu-ru)
Common Words Using 敗
Onyomi Readings
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 失敗 | しっぱい | failure, mistake |
| 敗北 | はいぼく | defeat |
| 敗戦 | はいせん | defeat (in war, game) |
| 連敗 | れんぱい | losing streak, consecutive defeats |
| 勝敗 | しょうはい | victory or defeat, outcome |
| 腐敗 | ふはい | decay, corruption |
| 敗訴 | はいそ | losing a lawsuit |
| 惨敗 | さんぱい | crushing defeat |
| 不敗 | ふはい | undefeated |
| 敗退 | はいたい | elimination (from a competition) |
Kunyomi Readings
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 敗れる | やぶれる | to be defeated, to lose (intransitive) |
| 敗る | やぶる | to defeat, to beat (transitive) |
| 敗け | まけ | defeat, loss (alternative kanji for 負け) |
| 敗れ去る | やぶれさる | to be utterly defeated/destroyed |
| 敗れ戦 | やぶれいくさ | a lost battle (archaic/literary) |
| 敗れ家 | やぶれや | ruined house (archaic, from ‘broken’) |
| 敗れ草 | やぶれぐさ | withered/decayed grass (from ‘decayed’) |
| 敗れ口 | やぶれぐち | a broken opening/mouth (from ‘broken’) |
| 敗れ窓 | やぶれまど | broken window (from ‘broken’) |
| 敗れ合う | やぶれあう | to defeat each other, to both be defeated |
Example Sentences
Japanese: 彼は決勝戦で惜敗した。
Kana: かれはけっしょうせんでせきはいした。
Romaji: Kare wa kesshōsen de sekihai shita.
English: He suffered a narrow defeat in the final match.
Japanese: チームは連敗を止めたいと思っている。
Kana: チームはれんぱいをとめたいとおもっている。
Romaji: Chīmu wa renpai o tometai to omotte iru.
English: The team wants to stop their losing streak.
Japanese: 勝敗は最後まで分からない。
Kana: しょうはいはさいごまでわからない。
Romaji: Shōhai wa saigo made wakaranai.
English: The outcome (victory or defeat) is unknown until the very end.
Japanese: 会社の腐敗をなくす必要がある。
Kana: かいしゃのふはいをなくすひつようがある。
Romaji: Kaisha no fuhai o nakusu hitsuyō ga aru.
English: It is necessary to eliminate corruption in the company.
Japanese: 彼女は政治家としての失敗を認めた。
Kana: かのじょはせいじかとしてのしっぱいをみとめた。
Romaji: Kanojo wa seijika to shite no shippai o mitometa.
English: She admitted her failure as a politician.
Japanese: 厳しい戦いの末、相手チームに敗れた。
Kana: きびしいたたかいのすえ、あいてチームにやぶれた。
Romaji: Kibishii tatakai no sue, aite chīmu ni yabureta.
English: After a tough battle, we were defeated by the opposing team.
Japanese: その選手は一度も敗れることなく優勝した。
Kana: そのせんしゅはいちどもやぶれることなくゆうしょうした。
Romaji: Sono senshu wa ichido mo yabureru koto naku yūshō shita.
English: That athlete won the championship without being defeated even once.
Japanese: 彼は敵を打ち破り、勝利を収めた。
Kana: かれはてきをうちやぶり、しょうりをおさめた。
Romaji: Kare wa teki o uchiyaburi, shōri o osameta.
English: He defeated the enemy and achieved victory.
Japanese: 我々の部隊は惨敗を喫し、撤退を余儀なくされた。
Kana: われわれのぶたいはさんぱいをきっし、てったいをよぎなくされた。
Romaji: Wareware no butai wa sanpai o kisshi, tettai o yoginaku sareta.
English: Our unit suffered a crushing defeat and was forced to retreat.
Japanese: 経済の不況で多くの企業が敗退した。
Kana: けいざいのふきょうでおおくのきぎょうがはいたいした。
Romaji: Keizai no fukyō de ōku no kigyō ga haitai shita.
English: Many companies were eliminated (failed) due to the economic recession.
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