Kanji 答

音読おんよみ: トウ

訓読くんよみ: こたえる・こた

画数かくすう: 12

部首ぶしゅ: たけかんむり(⺮)

Meaning

Answer / Reply / Response

  • Basic forms
  • 答える — to answer; to reply / base form
  • 答えます — polite / masu form
  • 答えた — answered / ta form
  • 答えて — answer and … / te-form
  • 答えない — do not answer / negative
  • 答えれば — if (someone) answers / conditional
  • 答えろ・答えよ — answer! / imperative
  • Other common forms
  • 答えたい — want to answer / 〜たい
  • 答えられる — can answer; be answered / potential / passive
  • 答えられない — can’t answer; cannot be answered
  • 答えている — is answering; has answered / progressive
  • More
  • 答えよう — let’s answer / 〜よう
  • 答えなかった — didn’t answer / past negative

答える(こたえる) is an ichidan (1-dan) verb. Drop る and add endings like ます, た, て, ない. Common patterns include 質問しつもんに答える (answer a question) and アンケートに答える (respond to a survey).

  • 回答かいとう — reply / response
  • 解答かいとう — solution (to a question)
  • 応答おうとう — reply / response
  • 答案とうあん — answer / examination paper
  • 返答へんとう — reply / answer
  • 即答そくとう — immediate reply
  • 贈答品ぞうとうひん — gift item

The top radical ⺮ represents bamboo — once used for writing materials. The lower part 合 suggests “coming together.” 答 originally referred to a formal reply or response, especially one written on bamboo slips.

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