How to say "complex" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 複雑ふくざつna-adjective, nounThe general word for something with many interrelated parts — a complex problem, structure, or situation. It also covers 'mixed (feelings)', as when conflicting emotions leave you unable to say how you feel.
- nounThe psychological sense only: a deep-seated feeling of inferiority or fixation about something. It never describes a problem or system as complicated, so it is the wrong choice for that sense.
- i-adjectiveComplicated in the sense of confusingly tangled: rules, explanations, or situations so knotted that they are hard to follow, with the emphasis on the confusion they cause.
- 複合ふくごうsuru verb, no-adjective, transitive verb, intransitive verbReally means composite or combined — something made of several elements together — rather than 'complex' in the ordinary sense. It is a marginal rendering of complex; choose it only when the combined-elements meaning is intended.
- 煩雑はんざつna-adjective, nounComplicated in a cumbersome, confusing way — typically procedures, paperwork, or arrangements that are a hassle to deal with. Use it when the complexity is a burden, not just intricate.
Use 複雑 for the general 'complex/complicated' sense (including mixed feelings), 「コンプレックス」 for the psychological sense, 「ややこしい」 for confusingly tangled cases, 複合 for composite things, and 煩雑 for cumbersome complications.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
- 複雑ふくざつcomplex
- コンプレックスcomplex
- ややこしいcomplicated
- 複合ふくごうcomposite
- 煩雑はんざつcomplex
- コンプcomplex
- 複素ふくそcomplex
- 錯体さくたいcomplex
- 複合体ふくごうたいcomplex
- 総合施設そうごうしせつcomplex
- 複体ふくたいcomplex
- 複合施設ふくごうしせつcomplex (i.e. a group of facilities on the same site)
- ややこいcomplicated
- 手の込んだてのこんだintricate
- メリハリの効いためりはりのきいたwell-modulated (voice)
- 微妙びみょうdifficult
- 複雑性ふくざつせいcomplex
- びみょいdifficult
See also
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