責

音読おんよみ: セキ

訓読くんよみ: せめる

画数かくすう: 11

部首ぶしゅ: 貝（かい）

Meaning

Blame / Accuse / Responsibility / Duty

  • Basic forms
  • 責める — to blame; to reproach; to press / base form
  • 責めます — blame; reproach / masu form
  • 責めた — blamed; reproached / ta form
  • 責めて — blame and … / te form
  • 責めない — do not blame / negative
  • 責めれば — if (one) blames / conditional
  • 責めろ・責めよ — blame! / imperative
  • Common uses
  • 人を責める — blame a person
  • 自分を責める — blame oneself
  • 責め立てる — press hard; accuse repeatedly
  • More
  • 責められる — be blamed / passive

責める（せめる） is an ichidan verb. It is used for blaming, reproaching, or pressing someone emotionally or verbally, rather than physical punishment.

  • 責任せきにん — responsibility
  • 自責じせき — self-blame
  • 職責しょくせき — job duty
  • 責せめる — to blame; to condemn
  • 面責めんせき — face-to-face accusation
  • 免責めんせき — exemption from liability

責 is a phono-semantic compound. The top part derives from the sound component 朿シ (thorny, sharp), while the bottom 貝 (shell/money) indicates something valuable or burdened. Together, it expresses pressure or blame — metaphorically extracting accountability from someone, especially in a duty-bound sense.

彼かれは 自分じぶんの 失敗しっぱいを 責せめた。
He blamed himself for the failure.

責任せきにんを 持もって 行動こうどうしてください。
Please act with responsibility.

任
Creates
責任せきにん — responsibility
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