汚職
oshoku[o̞ɕo̞kɯ̟]
The Japanese word for corruption (specifically the seeking of bribes) is 汚職 (oshoku). If unsure, use 汚職. Wiktionary also lists 涜職 (tokushoku).
Meaning: seeking bribes (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 汚職 | oshoku | [o̞ɕo̞kɯ̟] (narrow) |
| 涜職 | tokushoku | [to̞kɯ̟ɕo̞kɯ̟] (narrow) |
汚職 is used to describe corruption that involves someone abusing their official position or office to seek bribes. It is frequently paired with the word 事件 (jiken, incident/case) to form the term 汚職事件, which means a corruption scandal or legal case.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 汚職 is composed of the characters for 'dirty/corrupt' (汚) and 'office/position' (職).
How do you pronounce it?
oshoku
Did you know?
- While 汚職 refers to bribery, the general concept of 'corruption' or 'moral decay' is often expressed as 腐敗, which literally means 'rotting' or 'putrefaction'.
- In Japanese culture, the concept of 義理 (giri) or social obligation can sometimes blur the line between a polite gift and a bribe, making 汚職 a complex legal boundary.
- Japanese speakers often use the word 癒着 (yuchaku) to describe 'collusion', which literally means 'sticking together' or 'adhesion'.
Examples in context
- 汚職事件で逮捕された。He was arrested on corruption charges.This sentence is useful for seeing how to describe being arrested on corruption charges using 汚職.
- 政治家として企業のお金を受け取るのは、汚職でなくて何だろう。If a politician accepting money from a corporation isn't corruption, what is it?This sentence uses 汚職 to pose a rhetorical question about a politician accepting money.Tatoeba #6699254 by andresangelini, translation #6699263 by andresangelini
- ロッキード事件とは、アメリカの航空機製造大手のロッキード社による、主に同社の旅客機の受注をめぐって1976年2 月に明るみに出た世界的な大規模汚職事件。The Lockheed scandal is a worldwide corruption scandal involving the major American plane manufacturer Lockheed. It came to light in February 1976 and revolved mainly around the acceptance of passenger plane contracts.This sentence provides context on how to refer to a specific worldwide corruption scandal using 汚職.Tatoeba #390637 by Scott, translation #390638 by Scott
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Misaki and Hiroto are talking about a news report.
- 美咲 Misakiニュースで汚職の話をしていたよ。Nyūsu de oshoku no hanashi o shite ita yo.They were talking about corruption on the news.
- 大翔 Hirotoまた政治家の汚職なの？Mata seijika no oshoku nano?Is it politician corruption again?
- 美咲 Misakiうん、かなり深刻な問題みたい。Un, kanari shinkoku na mondai mitai.Yeah, it seems like a very serious problem.
- 大翔 Hiroto本当に信じられないね。Hontō ni shinjirarenai ne.I really can't believe it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “corruption” translations and entries 汚職, 涜職, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0, Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
