Japanese

うしなう
Meaning: to lose; to part with
Part of Speech: Verb

Listen to pronunciation

Show inflections Hide inflections

Verb inflections

Form Affirmative Negative
Present 失う 失わない
Polite 失います 失いません
Past 失った 失わなかった
Polite + Past 失いました 失いませんでした
Te-form 失って 失わなくて
Potential 失える 失えない
Passive 失われる 失われない
Causative 失わせる 失わせない
Causative + Passive 失わされる 失わされない
Imperative 失え 失うな

Handwriting

失
う

Example sentences

He lost his job and also lost his self-confidence.
火事で何もかも失った。
Everything was lost in the fire.
不幸な出来事が重なって、彼は元気をなくした。
Unfortunate events overlapped, and he lost his spirit.
家を火事で失うなんて、本当にお気の毒な話だ。
Losing one's house in a fire is a truly pitiful story.
獲物は逃げ場を失い、猟師に捕まった。
The prey lost its escape route and was caught by the hunter.
そのニュースはあまりに衝撃的で、言葉を失った。
That news was so shocking that I was at a loss for words.
事故で四肢の自由を失ったが、彼は諦めなかった。
He lost the use of his four limbs in an accident, but he did not give up.
地震の後の町の惨状に言葉を失った。
I was speechless at the disastrous state of the town after the earthquake.
彼は事故で足を失ったが、最新の義足を装着して歩けるようになった。
He lost his leg in an accident, but he is now able to walk using a state-of-the-art artificial leg.
彼は周囲の人々からの信を失った。
He lost the trust of the people around him.

Usage Notes

Used for losing physical objects, abstract things like status or trust, or bereavement.

Sottaku

About Sottaku

Sottaku is an app for learning Chinese, Japanese, Korean, English, Spanish, French, German, and Italian with a strong focus on SRS. It includes automatic flashcard creation for hundreds of thousands of words, grammar breakdowns in example sentences, language-specific study packs where available, adaptive quizzes, mobile apps, a browser extension, and community features. Give it a try now! All learning content is free with no limits on flashcards or study time.

Sottaku is built to match the habits of successful learners. By using Sottaku, you will naturally learn in the most efficient way possible, as proven by countless success stories in the language learning community.

Free Forever

Access all grammar guides, quizzes, and flashcards without paying a cent. Quality education should be accessible to everyone.

Smart SRS System

Our flashcard system uses the FSRS algorithm (also used in Anki) to optimize your review schedule and maximize retention.

Comprehensive Content

From hanzi, kana, hangul, and European vocabulary basics to grammar and reading practice where available, we have lessons for every level. Practice with quizzes tailored to your skill.

Community Chat

Ask level-appropriate questions and get help from the community. Learn together with fellow learners across all 8 supported languages.