How to say "motion" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 動きうごきnounThe general word for motion as movement: how people, animals, objects, or even situations move or change. When 'motion' simply means movement, this is the word to reach for.
- 動作どうさnounMotion as bodily movement: the actions, gestures, and movements a person makes. Choose this when 'motion' refers to what someone does with their body rather than to movement in general.
- nounThe loanword, used in technical and specialist contexts such as film, sports, or engineering, where the English term itself would be current. In ordinary talk about movement, 動き is the word you want.
- 動どうnounSeldom the word you want on its own: 動 is really the kanji element meaning motion, appearing inside compounds rather than standing alone as an independent word. Use 動き or 動作 instead.
- 提言ていげんnoun, suru verb, transitive verbCovers the formal sense of 'motion': a proposal or recommendation put before a meeting or committee. It has no connection with physical movement.
For physical movement choose 「動き」, for bodily actions or gestures 動作, for technical uses the loanword 「モーション」, for a formal proposal at a meeting 提言; 動 alone is seldom the word you want.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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