To Respond To, To Meet, To Live Up To
ichidan verb, intransitive verb
The kanji means respond, and this is also to respond to, but often in the sense of trying to meet or to live up to some expectation, need, or other feelings. Check out our common word combinations and context sentences for some example usages of this!
こたえる
Since this word consists of a kanji with hiragana attached, you can bet that it will use the kun'yomi reading. You haven't learned this reading yet, but it shares a reading (and some similarities in meaning) with 答える, so just try to think of that vocab in relation to this one!
お客様の多種多様なニーズに応えるのは難しい。
It is difficult to meet the diverse needs of our customers.
うれしいけど、あなたの気持ちには応えられないよ。ごめんね。
I'm flattered, but I can't reciprocate your feelings. I'm sorry.
社長からの期待に、全力で応えた。
We did our best to meet the expectations of the president.