呪う

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 呪う (のろう) is a godan transitive verb for placing a curse on someone or bitterly cursing one’s own fate.
• Basic usage: 王を呪った has a witch place a curse on a king who betrayed her, while 自分の運命を呪う describes bitterly railing against one’s fate after failure.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Curse on another and condemnation of fate
  • 王を呪う directs a harmful curse at a person, whereas 運命を呪う condemns one’s own circumstances. The two inputs should not be reduced to merely wishing misfortune on another person.