失敗

Pattern visualization

Examples

1. 実験は失敗しました。▶ —
   The experiment failed.
2. 失敗は成功のもと。▶ —
   Failure is the mother of success. (proverb)

Collocations

Mnemonic

Shippai (失敗) is the Sino-Japanese "failure," noun or suru-verb. 失 (lose) + 敗 (defeat) = "lost and defeated" pictograph. Exact antonym: seikou (成功, success). Metaphor proverb shippai wa seikou no moto ("failure is the foundation / mother of success") echoes Korean "sil-pae-neun seong-gong-ui eo-meo-ni," Chinese 失败是成功之母, English "failure is the mother of success." In Japanese business, misu (mistake, loaned from English) and "misu wo suru" carry a lighter negative tone than shippai. Shippaisaku (failed work) appears in film and creative criticism. Learning culture "shippai kara manabu" (learn from failure) underlies PDCA cycles and reflection meetings — Korean "sil-pae-reul ja-san-eu-ro" matches.

Quick check

1. Register difference between shippai and misu?

   • Shippai = Sino-Japanese formal / serious / misu = light loanword "mistake"
   • Synonyms
   • Tense
   • Honorific vs humble