1.
enemy, rival, foe
An adversary or opponent. Can refer to a personal enemy or a competitive rival.
彼は私の仇だ。
He is my enemy.
親の仇のように嫌っている。
He hates it as if it were his parents' killer.
This is a common figurative expression meaning to hate something intensely.
2.
target of vengeance, person to avenge
The person against whom one seeks revenge, especially for the killing of a family member or lord. Central to the samurai concept of 仇討ち (vendetta).
親の仇のように嫌っている。
He hates it as if it were his parents' killer.
This is a common figurative expression meaning to hate something intensely.
武士は主君の仇を討った。
The samurai avenged his lord.
忠臣蔵は仇討ちの物語として有名だ。
Chushingura is famous as a story of vengeance.
USAGE:
仇 carries a dramatic, literary tone. In modern Japanese it often appears in set expressions and figurative language rather than literal usage.
The expression 親の仇のように ("as if it were one's parents' killer") is an idiom meaning to treat something with extreme hostility.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 仇を討つ: to take revenge
- 仇討ち: vendetta, revenge
- 親の仇: one's parents' killer (often figurative)
- 宿敵の仇: sworn enemy