自由
jiyū[d͡ʑijɯ̟ː]
The Japanese word for liberty is 自由 (jiyū).
自由 is a noun meaning the condition of being free.
Meaning: condition of being free (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word 自由 is composed of the characters 自 (self) and 由 (reason/cause), which literally means 'acting according to one's own reason'.
How does it change in a sentence?
To use the word as an adjective to describe a noun (for example, 'free time'), use the form 自由な.
How do you pronounce it?
jiyū
Did you know?
- The character 自 in 自由 originally meant 'nose' in ancient Chinese, before it came to represent 'self'.
- The modern use of 自由 to mean 'liberty' was popularized in the 1860s by Fukuzawa Yukichi, a leading intellectual of the Meiji era, to translate Western concepts of freedom.
- In modern Japanese, 自由 is frequently used to describe a 'free-style' or 'unstructured' approach to tasks, such as in the term 自由研究 for a school summer project.
Examples in context
- その事件について自由に話すことはできない。I'm not at liberty to tell you about the incident.The sentence is useful for expressing that you are not at liberty to talk about a specific incident using 自由.Tatoeba #209977 by bunbuku, translation #47240 by CK
- 自由の女神の右腕の長さは12.8mである。The right arm of the Statue of Liberty is 42 feet long.The sentence is useful for stating a measurement regarding the Statue of Liberty using 自由.Tatoeba #2948407 by tommy_san, translation #2947375 by CK
- すべて人は、生命、自由及び身体の安全に対する権利を有する。Everyone has the right to life, liberty and the security of person.The sentence is useful for stating the universal right to life, liberty and security using 自由.Tatoeba #691627 by arihato, translation #554640 by jakov
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ren and Yui are discussing their ideal lifestyles.
- 蓮 Ren蓮は、もっと自由な生活がしたいと思っています。Ren wa, motto jiyū na seikatsu ga shitai to omotte imasu.Ren wants to have a more free life.
- 結衣 Yui自由であることは、とても大切ですよね。Jiyū dearu koto wa, totemo taisetsu desu yo ne.Being free is very important, isn't it?
- 蓮 Renはい。誰にも縛られない自由が欲しいです。Hai. Dare ni mo shibararenai jiyū ga hoshii desu.Yes. I want a liberty where I'm not tied down by anyone.
- 結衣 Yui結衣も、同じ意見だと思います。Yui mo, onaji iken da to omoimasu.Yui thinks the same way too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “liberty” translations and entries 自由, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 自由, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
