How to say "contingency" in Japanese

• コンティンジェンシー
  nounThe direct English loanword, covering whatever 'contingency' covers; it is less common, so in most contexts one of the Japanese equivalents is the safer choice.
• 偶発性ぐうはつせい
  nounThe abstract quality of being contingent or incidental: that something happens by circumstance rather than by design. It names this property itself, not any concrete unforeseen event.
• 偶然性ぐうぜんせい
  nounContingency as a matter of chance: the fortuity, randomness, or unpredictability of something — an outcome that is accidental rather than necessary. This is the sense of 'contingency' contrasted with necessity.
• 不測の事態ふそくのじたい
  expression, nounA set phrase for an unforeseen situation: the concrete eventuality itself, the kind of thing one prepares for or guards against; for this planning sense of 'contingency' it is the natural choice.

For an actual unforeseen eventuality you prepare for, use 「不測の事態」; for the abstract quality of being incidental choose 偶発性, for chance or randomness 偶然性; 「コンティンジェンシー」 is simply the less common loanword.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• コンティンジェンシーcontingency
• 偶発性ぐうはつせいcontingency
• 偶然性ぐうぜんせいcontingency
• 不測の事態ふそくのじたいcontingency
• 偶然ぐうぜんcontingency