How to say "contempt" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 軽蔑けいべつnoun, suru verb, transitive verbContempt as a feeling: despising or looking down on a person, a group, or their behavior. When you mean the emotion of holding someone in contempt, this is the word you want.
- 蔑視べっしnoun, suru verb, transitive verbContempt or disdain with an overtone of derision: treating someone or something as beneath regard. It runs close to 軽蔑, and either is a natural way to say you look down on someone.
- 侮蔑ぶべつnoun, suru verb, transitive verbScorn or disdain for someone treated as beneath consideration; it sits close to 蔑視, and for most purposes either word will carry the sense of scornful contempt.
- 侮辱ぶじょくnoun, suru verb, transitive verbReally 'insult' or 'affront': offensive words or behavior that wound a person's dignity, not the inward feeling of contempt. Its 'contempt' sense is chiefly legal, as in contempt of court.
- 軽視けいしnoun, suru verb, transitive verbMaking light of something rather than despising it: thinking little of its importance or worth. For the emotion of despising someone, 軽蔑 is the word you want; 軽視 is about not taking something seriously.
Use 軽蔑 for the feeling of despising someone, 蔑視 or 侮蔑 for scornful looking-down, 侮辱 for insults and legal contempt, and 軽視 for making light of something rather than despising it.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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