How to say "inequality" in Japanese

• 不平等ふびょうどうCommon
  noun, na-adjectiveCovers inequality in the sense of unfairness or injustice, as in unequal treatment of people. This is the word to use when 'inequality' carries a moral judgment that something is not fair.
• 不均衡ふきんこうCommon
  na-adjective, nounCovers inequality as disproportion or lack of balance between quantities or groups, such as an uneven distribution. It describes a lopsided state without necessarily implying unfairness.
  貿易ぼうえき不均衡ふきんこうが大おおきな問題もんだいであるように思おもえる。↗

  The trade imbalance bulks large in our minds.
• 凸凹でこぼこJLPT N2approx.Common
  no-adjective, na-adjectivePrimarily means unevenness or being bumpy and irregular; its gloss 'inequality' is secondary. For social or abstract inequality it is usually not the word you want, though it can describe uneven differences.
• 凹凸おうとつCommon
  nounPrimarily means bumps and hollows, or literal unevenness of a surface; inequality and disparity are secondary senses. It is generally a poor choice for abstract social inequality despite the gloss.

Use 不平等 for unfair, unjust inequality; 不均衡 for imbalance or disproportion between quantities; 凸凹 and 凹凸 for literal or figurative unevenness, with the social sense being secondary for both.

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

• 不平等ふびょうどうinequality
• 不均衡ふきんこうimbalance
• 不等ふとうinequality
• 不等式ふとうしきinequality (expression)
• 不均一ふきんいつlack of uniformity
• 不均等ふきんとうlack of uniformity
• 凸凹でこぼこinequality
• 凹凸おうとつimbalance