How to say "licence" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 免許めんきょnoun, suru verb, transitive verbCovers a licence in the everyday sense of official permission to do something, such as driving. The default choice when you mean the qualification or right itself rather than the paper.
- nounA loanword used for licences in commercial and technical contexts, such as software, broadcasting, or intellectual property. Choose it when the licence is something granted, purchased, or held as a formal right.
- 認可にんかnoun, suru verb, transitive verbEmphasises official approval or authorisation by an authority; the 'licence' reading is secondary. Use it when the point is that a body has sanctioned an activity, institution, or plan.
- 免状めんじょうnounRefers to the formal certificate or document itself, such as a teaching or pilot licence. Pick it when the emphasis is on the official paper conferring the qualification rather than the permission as such.
- 免許証めんきょしょうnounDenotes the physical licence document, above all a driver's licence carried as identification. Use it when referring to the card or certificate itself, not the abstract right.
Use 免許 or 「ライセンス」 for a general licence, 免許証 or 免状 for the physical or formal document, and 認可 when the emphasis is official approval or authorisation rather than the paper itself.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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