How to say "elaborate" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 入念にゅうねんna-adjective, nounCovers 'elaborate' in the sense of done with painstaking care: it stresses the thorough effort and attention behind something, as in elaborate preparations or a carefully worked-out plan.
- 精巧せいこうna-adjective, nounFor elaborate things that are finely and precisely made: it praises intricate, delicate workmanship of an exquisite quality, as of a finely built model or other crafted object.
- 凝ったこったprenominal modifierFor elaborate things devised with ingenuity and pains: an ornate, refined design or arrangement that shows its maker went to a lot of trouble, such as an elaborate dish or decoration.
- 緻密ちみつna-adjective, nounCovers 'elaborate' only as 'intricate': it really describes fine, close texture — a fine weave or grain, delicate workmanship — and, of plans or reasoning, minute, tightly knit detail.
- 念入りねんいりna-adjective, nounReally means careful, scrupulous and thorough rather than elaborate: it is seldom the word you want for elaborate things, and fits when you mean something done with painstaking conscientiousness.
Choose 入念 for painstaking care in preparation, 精巧 for finely crafted objects, 「凝った」 for ingeniously devised designs, and 緻密 for intricate, fine detail, while 「念入り」 chiefly means thorough rather than elaborate.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
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