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Japanese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "failure" in Japanese?
失敗
shippai
In Japanese, "failure" is 失敗 (shippai).
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Pronunciation
Shippai has a firm double-p in the middle, ship-pai, with a brief pause before the pai, said like 'shi-ppai'.
Writing and usage
失敗 is written using kanji. It's a noun, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.
Example sentence
彼は初期の失敗から多くを学びました。
kareha shoki no shippai kara ooku wo manabi mashita.
He learned a lot from his early failure.
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How to remember 失敗
Shippai sounds like 'ship pie', as in imagining a ship carrying a pie that capsizes, a small comic failure.
Related words
- freedom 自由 jiyuu
- justice 正義 seigi
- peace 平和を heiwa wo
- equality 平等 byoudou
- opportunity 機会 kikai
- responsibility 責任 sekinin
- challenge チャレンジ charenji
- tradition 伝統 dentou
- culture 文化 bunka
Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.
Questions about 失敗
How do you pronounce 失敗?
Shippai has a firm double-p in the middle, ship-pai, with a brief pause before the pai, said like 'shi-ppai'.
Is 失敗 formal or casual?
失敗 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.
How is 失敗 written in Japanese?
失敗 is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as shippai.
Where can I practice Japanese words for free?
You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.
"Failure" in other languages
Curated by Jack Ratcliffe
This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.
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