compensate · repay

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 償 concerns making up for loss or damage and has the on-reading しょう.
• Basic usage: It appears in words about compensating for loss, such as 弁償(べんしょう), 補償(ほしょう), and 賠償(ばいしょう).

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Providing and receiving compensation
  • 修理費を弁償する means paying the repair costs, whereas 補償を受けた describes receiving compensation. The following verb distinguishes the direction of the action.