恥
[ha̠ʑi]
The Japanese word for disgrace is 恥.
恥 refers to a state of being dishonored or covered with shame.
Meaning: state of being dishonored or covered with shame (noun)
Which one should you use?
恥辱 (Chijoku) carries a strong sense of disgrace or shame and is often used to describe serious offenses or public humiliation. The term 不名誉 (Fumeiyo) refers to dishonor, disrepute or a tarnished reputation.
Did you know?
- The word 恥ずかしい (hazukashii), the adjective form of 恥, is used when someone is 'shy'. This means that being 'shy' is linguistically framed as a form of 'embarrassment' or 'disgrace'.
- In some contexts, the phrase 恥をかく (haji o kaku), which literally means 'to scratch/shed shame', is the common way to say 'to be disgraced' or 'to suffer a humiliation'.
- Japan is often described by sociologists as a 'shame culture' 恥の文化 (haji no bunka), contrasting with 'guilt cultures' where the internal conscience is the primary driver of morality.
Examples in context
- 彼は大きな恥辱を被りましたHe experienced a great disgrace.
- 彼は不名誉を被りましたHe suffered disgrace.
- 私は自分の行動に恥を感じますI feel disgrace in my actions.
- 彼女はとても恥ずかしい思いをしましたShe experienced a very embarrassing moment.
- 彼は大きな失態を犯しましたHe committed a great disgrace.
- 太郎の行動は、彼自身にとって大きな恥辱となった。Taro's actions became a great disgrace to himself.
- 未熟な判断が不名誉を招くこともありますので、慎重に考えましょう。Immature judgments can lead to disgrace, so let's think carefully.
- それは家族の恥です。Sore wa kazoku no haji desu.That is a disgrace to the family.
- 彼は恥をさらした。Kare wa haji o sarashita.He brought disgrace upon himself.
- 恥をかくのは嫌いだ。Haji o kaku no wa kirai da.I hate being disgraced.
Example conversation
Yohki and Yota are talking about a mistake Yota made.
- 陽葵 Himariどうしてあんなことをしたの？Dōshite anna koto o shita no?Why did you do such a thing?
- 陽太 Yotaもう恥で顔が見られないよ。Mō haji de kao ga mirenai yo.I'm too disgraced to show my face.
- 陽葵 Himariそんなに落ち込まないで。Sonna ni ochikomanaide.Don't be so depressed.
- 陽太 Yotaでも、これは本当に恥だ。Demo, kore wa hontō ni haji da.But this is truly a disgrace.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 恥, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
