失敗談(しっぱいだん)

失敗談(しっぱいだん) refers to an anecdote about a past mistake or failure. These stories are often shared in conversation for humor, self-deprecation, or as cautionary tales.

Etymology

失敗(しっぱい) (failure) + 談(だん) (talk, story).

Common patterns

• 失敗談(しっぱいだん)を話(はな)す: to tell a failure story
• 失敗談(しっぱいだん)を聞(き)く: to hear a failure story
• 失敗談(しっぱいだん)から学(まな)ぶ: to learn from failure stories

SIMILAR 〜談(だん) COMPOUNDS:

• 成功談(せいこうだん): success story
• 体験談(たいけんだん): personal experience story
• 苦労談(くろうだん): hardship story
• 武勇伝(ぶゆうでん): tale of heroic deeds

Usage

The suffix 談(だん) is productive and attaches to various nouns to create "story about ~" compounds. 失敗談(しっぱいだん) is especially common in casual conversation, talk shows, and self-help contexts.