How to Say "Honor" in Japanese

名誉

meiyo[me̞ːjo̞]

The English word "honor" is translated into Japanese as 名誉 (meiyo).

名誉 refers to excellence of character, high moral worth or virtue.

Meaning: excellence of character, high moral worth, virtue (noun)

What does it mean word for word?

The word 名誉 is composed of the characters 名 (name or reputation) and 誉 (praise or glory).

meiyo

In the era of the samurai, honor was so central that it led to 切腹 (seppuku), a ritual suicide intended to restore honor to one's name after a failure or disgrace.
The word 名誉 is frequently used in the term 名誉毀損, which means 'defamation' or 'libel', literally translating to 'honor destruction'.
To lose one's honor in a way that is socially irredeemable is often described as 恥 (haji), meaning 'shame', which is the conceptual opposite of 名誉.

名誉の証です。
It's a badge of honor.
This sentence is useful for describing a badge of honor using 名誉.
Tatoeba #10650617 by small_snow, translation #2570781 by Hybrid
名誉なことだ。
It's an honor.
This sentence is useful for saying something is an honor using 名誉.
Tatoeba #11532880 by cia_UnitedStatesNa13, translation #2249039 by CK
トムのようなよい生徒はわがクラスの名誉だ。
A good student like Tom brings honor to our class.
This sentence is useful for showing how a person can bring honor to a group using 名誉.
Tatoeba #200158 by bunbuku, translation #37359 by CM
2 more sentences on Tatoeba

Two friends are talking about a local community award.

大翔 Hiroto

この賞をもらうのは、本当に名誉なことだよ。
Kono shou o morau no wa, hontou ni meiyo na koto da yo.
Receiving this award is truly an honor.
美咲 Misaki

大翔さんは努力したから、当然だと思うよ。
Hiroto-san wa doryoku shita kara, touzen da to omou yo.
I think it's natural since you worked so hard, Hiroto.
大翔 Hiroto

ありがとう。名誉を大切にしたいと思う。
Arigatou. Meiyo o taisetsu ni shitai to omou.
Thank you. I want to cherish this honor.
美咲 Misaki

美咲も応援しているよ。おめでとう！
Misaki mo ouen shite iru yo. Omedetou!
Misaki is rooting for you too. Congratulations!

Sources

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