- Basic forms
- 負ける — to lose; be defeated / base form
- 負けます — (I) lose / masu form
- 負けた — lost / ta form
- 負けて — lose and …; please lose (contextual) / te-form
- 負けない — don’t lose / negative form
- 負ければ — if (someone) loses / conditional
- 負けろ・負けよ — lose! (rare command) / imperative
- Other common forms
- 負けたい — want to lose (rare) / 〜たい form
- 負けられる — can lose; can afford to lose / potential
- 負けられた — could lose (rare usage) / past potential
- 負けられない — cannot lose; must not be defeated / negative potential
- More
- 負けよう — let’s give in; let’s lose (contextual nuance) / 〜よう form
- 負けなかった — didn’t lose / past negative
- 負けている — is losing; is being defeated / progressive
負ける(まける) is an ichidan verb. Drop る to add endings such as ます, た, て, ない. Used for games, sports, competitions, and figuratively as “to give in” or “to yield,” as in 誘惑に負ける (give in to temptation).
負 combines the shell radical (貝), often symbolizing wealth, with a person (⺈) carrying or taking something on. It originally meant "to carry on the back," but its meanings extended to include "to lose" in competitive situations and "to bear" responsibility.
チームが試合に負けました。
The team lost the match.
彼は 責任を負っている。
He is taking responsibility.
