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WORD DETAIL

苦杯

くはい

N1bitter defeat

Examples

決勝で再び同じ相手に苦杯をなめた。

昨年の苦杯をばねに選手たちは練習を重ねた。

Included kanji

Study notes

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

  • Structure: 苦杯 is read くはい and means a bitter defeat.
  • Basic usage: It appears in the experience of losing again to the same opponent and using that defeat as motivation to practice.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

  • Suffering defeat
    • 苦杯をなめた expresses having suffered a bitter defeat.
  • Using defeat as motivation
    • 苦杯をばねに means using a past defeat as motivation for further effort.

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