How to say "definition" in Japanese

• 定義ていぎJLPT N1approx.Common
  noun, suru verb, transitive verbThe common, default word for 'definition' in the sense of a statement giving the meaning of a word, term, or concept, as in dictionaries, law, mathematics, and academic writing.
  定義ていぎするのが難むずかしい語ごもある。↗

  Some words are hard to define.
• デフィニション
  nounA katakana rendering of the English word; it is less common and seldom the word you want, as 定義 already covers the ordinary sense of 'definition'.
• 明確化めいかくか
  noun, suru verbRefers to the act or process of making something clear and explicit — clarification — rather than to a definition as a statement of meaning; for that sense use 定義.
• 鮮鋭度せんえいど
  nounCovers the sharpness of a photo or other image; its 'definition' is this image-quality sense only, so it is not the word for the definition of a term.
• 抜けぬけ
  nounIn photography it means the sharpness or 'definition' of a photograph; it also covers clarity of sound and flow, but it never means the definition of a word or term.

Use 定義 for the everyday sense of a statement of meaning; 明確化 for the act of making something explicit; 鮮鋭度 and 「抜け」 only for the sharpness of photos or sound; 「デフィニション」 is a less common loanword.

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

• 定義ていぎdefinition
• デフィニションdefinition
• 明確化めいかくかclarification
• 鮮鋭度せんえいどsharpness (e.g. of a photo)
• 抜けぬけdefinition (of photograph)