疎遠
soen
In Japanese, estrangement is 疎遠 (soen).
疎遠 is used to describe a gradual loss of contact or a growing distance in a relationship, rather than a sudden, violent break.
Meaning: the act of alienating (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of the kanji 疎, meaning distant or neglected and 遠, meaning far or distant.
Which one should you use?
While 疎遠 describes a loss of contact, 不和 emphasizes disharmony and a state of disagreement and 懸隔 conveys a formal, slightly poetic tone implying significant emotional distance.
How do you pronounce it?
soen
Did you know?
- While English uses 'estrangement' for family breaks, the Japanese word 疎遠 is frequently used to describe the relationship between a person and their hometown or ancestral roots.
- In Japanese culture, 疎遠 is often used as a polite euphemism to describe a relationship that has faded without blaming a specific person. It frames the estrangement as a natural drift rather than a conscious choice to cut ties.
- Unlike English, which often uses 'estrange' as an active verb to alienate someone, 疎遠 is primarily used to describe the resulting state of the relationship.
Examples in context
- 私たちは最近疎遠になっています。We have become estranged recently.
- 彼らは深い懸隔を感じています。They sense a profound estrangement.
- 家族間には不和があるようです。There seems to be estrangement within the family.
- 最近彼との関係が冷えてきた。Lately, my relationship with him has cooled down.
- あの二人の間柄はとても悪い。The relationship between those two is really bad.
- この頃、家族とのつながりが遠ざかっているように感じる。Lately, I feel distant from my family.
- 仕事のせいで、家族と疎遠になった。Shigoto no sei de, kazoku to soen ni natta.Because of work, I became estranged from my family.
- 長年の疎遠が、心の壁を作っている。Naganen no soen ga, kokoro no kabe o tsukutte iru.Long-term estrangement has built a wall between our hearts.
- 疎遠になった友人ともう一度話したい。Soen ni natta yuujin to mou ichido hanashitai.I want to talk to an estranged friend once more.
Example conversation
Youta and Yui are talking about their childhood friends at a cafe.
- 陽太 Yotaあいつとは、最近かなり疎遠だよ。Aitsu to wa, saikin kanari soen da yo.I've become quite estranged from him lately.
- 結衣 Yuiそんなに疎遠になっちゃったの？Sonna ni soen ni natchatta no?Did you really become that estranged?
- 陽太 Yotaうん、連絡を取らなくなってからね。Un, renraku o toranakunatte kara ne.Yeah, ever since we stopped contacting each other.
- 結衣 Yuiもったいないなあ。Mottainai naa.That's such a shame.
