How to Say "Scandal" in Japanese

スキャンダル

sukyandaru[sɨ̥kʲã̠nda̠ɾɯ̟]

The English word 'scandal' can be translated into Japanese as スキャンダル (sukyandaru) or 不祥事.

Meaning: incident that brings disgrace (noun)

Ways to say it

“scandal” in Japanese
Japanese	Romanization (Wiktionary)	IPA
スキャンダル	sukyandaru	[sɨ̥kʲã̠nda̠ɾɯ̟] (narrow)
不祥事	fushōji	[ɸɯ̟̊ɕo̞ːʑi] (narrow)

Use 不祥事 to describe serious misconduct, professional impropriety or institutional scandals, particularly in business or news contexts.

The word 不祥事 is composed of 不 (not/non-) and 祥事 (auspicious event/good news), literally meaning an 'inauspicious event'.

不祥事 is specifically used for serious misconduct or impropriety in professional or institutional settings.

sukyandaru

When a public figure is involved in a 不祥事, they often perform a deep bow of apology during a press conference to visually express the weight of the 'inauspicious event'.
In Japanese corporate culture, a 不祥事 often leads to a ritualized resignation where the executive takes full responsibility to protect the organization's honor.
The word 不祥事 is derived from 不祥, meaning 'scandalous' or 'ominous', combined with 事, meaning 'matter'.

その不祥事は出世の妨げとなった。
The scandal was an obstacle to his promotion.
The sentence using 不祥事 shows how a scandal can hinder professional advancement.
Tatoeba #10624206 by small_snow, translation #50302 by CM
この不祥事は会社の評判に傷をつけた。
The scandal hurt the company's reputation.
The sentence using 不祥事 illustrates how a scandal can damage a company's reputation.
Tatoeba #10899714 by bunbuku, translation #52296 by CK
彼は例のスキャンダルと関係があると思う。
I think he has something to do with that scandal.
The sentence using スキャンダル describes a connection to a specific scandal.
Tatoeba #98918 by KK_kaku_, translation #304782 by CK
彼女のスキャンダルが新聞に掲載された。
Her scandal was featured in the newspaper.
その政治家は醜聞を隠蔽しようとしている。
That politician is trying to cover up the scandal.
企業の不祥事が大きな波紋を広げた。
The company's scandal caused a significant ripple effect.
9 more sentences on Tatoeba

Two friends are talking about celebrity news.

陽葵 Himari

昨日のニュース、大きなスキャンダルだったね。
Kinō no nyūsu, ōkina sukyandaru datta ne.
Yesterday's news was a huge scandal, wasn't it?
陽太 Yota

本当だね。信じられないよ。
Hontō da ne. Shinjirarenai yo.
It really was. I can't believe it.
陽葵 Himari

彼がスキャンダルを起こすとは思わなかった。
Kare ga sukyandaru o okosu to wa omowanakatta.
I didn't think he would be involved in a scandal.
陽太 Yota

イメージが良かったから、みんな驚いているよ。
Imēji ga yokatta kara, minna odoroite iru yo.
Everyone is surprised because he had such a good image.

Sources

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