Reply
Response
noun, verbal noun
You know 事 means "occurrence," but it can also mean "matter." And if you return the matter to another person, you're giving a reply or response.
This is a jukugo word, which usually means on'yomi readings from the kanji. If you know the readings of your kanji you'll know how to read this as well.
今日は、メールの返事が来なかった。
Today, I didn't get a reply to my email.
もう少し時間をくれませんか？返事をする前によく考えたいんです。
Would you like to give me a little more time? I want to think it over before I respond.
プロポーズの返事が一年以上ないんですが、どうしたらいいですか？
There has been no response to my proposal for over a year, what should I do?