How to say "movement" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 移動いどうnoun, suru verb, transitive verb, intransitive verbMovement in the sense of getting from one place to another — displacement, transfer, or migration of people or things. Choose this when the point is a change of location rather than the motion itself.
- 動きうごきnounThe general word for movement or motion — how something or someone moves. It also covers a single 'move', in the sense of an action taken.
- 動作どうさnounMovement of the body — the actions, motions, or gestures a person makes. Typical contexts include describing whether someone's movements are smooth, quick, or awkward.
- 身動きみうごきnoun, suru verb, intransitive verbMovement of one's own body — moving about or stirring. Often the point is whether one can move at all, as when there is no room to stir.
- nounA movement in the political, social, or artistic sense — an organized campaign or current. It is not the word for physical movement of people or things.
Use 移動 for movement from one place to another, 「動き」 for motion in general, 動作 for bodily actions and gestures, 「身動き」 for moving one's own body about, and 「ムーブメント」 for political, social, or artistic movements.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
- 移動いどうmovement
- 動きうごきmovement
- 動作どうさmovement (of the body)
- 身動きみうごきmovement (of one's body)
- ムーブメントmovement (political, social, artistic, etc.)
- 動向どうこうtrend
- 仕草しぐさgesture
- こなしcarriage
- 楽章がくしょうmovement
- 動態どうたいmovement
- 進退しんたいadvance or retreat
- ムーブmove
- ムーブマンmovement
- 泳動えいどうmigration
- ロコモーションlocomotion
- 身のこなしみのこなしcarriage
- 通じつうじ(bowel) movement
- お通じおつうじ(bowel) movement
- 動感どうかん(feeling of) movement
- キャンペーンcampaign (for an election, social change, etc.)
- 運行うんこうmovement (of a heavenly body)
- 運動うんどうappeal
- 働きはたらきaction
See also
This browser can't play pronunciations (needs Safari 18.4 or later, or Chrome / Edge / Firefox).
