How to say "intelligence" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 知能ちのうnounMental ability in the cognitive sense: the capacity to learn, reason, and solve problems, as when discussing a child's development or scores on an intelligence test.
- 知性ちせいnounIntellect as a personal quality: the sharp, cultivated intelligence you perceive in someone, as when remarking that a speaker impressed the audience with her intelligence.
- 英知えいちnounReally a lofty word for wisdom and sagacity: profound insight and sound judgment rather than everyday cleverness, so it fits 'intelligence' only in that elevated sense.
- 情報じょうほうnounPrimarily 'information' or 'news'; as 'intelligence' it means information gathered and analyzed, as in military or corporate intelligence work, not mental ability.
- nounA loanword kept for specialist senses of 'intelligence', especially in technical fields such as computing and data analysis; for a person's mental ability, 知能 is the word to use.
Use 知能 for mental ability or cognitive capacity, 知性 for intellect as a personal quality, 英知 for wisdom and deep insight, 情報 for intelligence as gathered information, and 「インテリジェンス」 in technical, specialist contexts.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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