(ねた)

ねたむ
verb (godan)
to envy, to be jealous of
1. to envy, to be jealous of, to resent
To feel bitter resentment or jealousy toward someone because of their success, talent, or good fortune.
(ひと)成功(せいこう)(ねた)む。
To envy someone's success.
同僚(どうりょう)昇進(しょうしん)(ねた)んでいる。
I'm jealous of my colleague's promotion.
他人(たにん)(ねた)んでばかりいると、自分(じぶん)(つら)くなる。
If you're always being jealous of others, it only makes things harder on yourself.

TRANSITIVITY: 他動詞(たどうし) (transitive). Pattern: Xを(ねた)む.

USAGE:
(ねた)む carries a distinctly negative connotation — it implies bitter, resentful jealousy rather than innocent admiration. It is stronger and more personal than (うらや)ましい (envious in a lighter sense).

KANJI NOTE:
Also written as (ねた)む. Both (ねた)む and (ねた)む are used, with (ねた)む being slightly more common in everyday writing.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 才能(さいのう)(ねた)む: to be jealous of someone's talent
  • 成功(せいこう)(ねた)む: to resent someone's success
  • (しあわ)せを(ねた)む: to envy someone's happiness

RELATED EXPRESSION:
嫉妬(しっと)する is the する-verb form meaning "to feel jealousy" and is used more broadly in both spoken and written Japanese.