Shippai is the Japanese word for ‘failure’, explained

What does “shippai” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “shippai” to mean ‘failure’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “shippai” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “shippai”
• Shippai in kanji
  • Example #1: how to say “failure” in Japanese
  • Example #2: another usage of “shippai”
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “shippai”

Let me start with the definition and meaning of “shippai”.

• shippai – 失敗 (しっぱい) : a noun meaning ‘failure’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.

Native speakers use this noun to refer to an unsuccessful result of something in Japanese. So, its usage is similar to that of the English noun, “failure”, I think.

The definition and meaning are simple and clear. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.

Shippai in kanji

The kanji expression of “shippai” consists of the following two characters:

• 失 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘to lose’ or ‘to miss’ in Japanese.
• 敗 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘to lose’ in Japanese.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “shippai” consists of the two similar kanji characters and that its very basic concept is losing. This kanji concept is not completely in line with the meaning, but still very close, I think. Unsuccessful results are often achieved after losing.

When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about meanings of words they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “shippai” through the detailed kanji check above.

Then, let me explain how to use “shippai” through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to say “failure” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
• tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after “boku” to make its plural form, “boku tachi”, which means ‘we’ in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “boku tachi” to make its possessive case, “boku tachi no”, which means ‘our’ in Japanese.
• keikaku – 計画 (けいかく) : a noun meaning ‘plan’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “boku tachi no keikaku” to make the subject in the sentence.
• ni – に : a case particle used to say what state or situation something is in after a change or action. In the example, this is used after “shippai” to say what situation “keikaku” is in.
• owat – 終わっ (おわっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “owaru”, which means ‘to end’ or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form. In the example, this is used after “owat” to make its past tense form, “owat ta”.

This is a typical usage of “shippai”. In this example, it works as a part of the commonly-used expression, “shippai ni owat ta”, which literally means ‘to have ended in failure’ in Japanese. This expression should be learnt together with its present tense, “shippai ni owaru”.

Example #2: another usage of “shippai”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “shippai” to make the object in the sentence.
• ukeire – 受け入れ (うけいれ) : one conjugation of the verb, “ukeireru”, which means ‘to accept’, ‘to admit’, or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese nai form. In the example, this is used after “ukeire” to deny its meaning.

This is another typical usage of “shippai”. In this example, it works as a part of the commonly-used expression, “shippai wo ukeire nai”, which means ‘not to accept failure’ in Japanese. When we want to say “failure” in Japanese, anyway, this noun is a very good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “shippai” in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• shippai – 失敗 (しっぱい) : a noun meaning ‘failure’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Native speakers use this to refer to an unsuccessful result of something in Japanese. So, the usage of this noun is similar to that of the English one, “failure”. The very basic concept of this kanji expression is losing. This concept is not completely in line with the meaning, but still very close, I think. Unsuccessful results are often achieved after losing.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.