How to say "paradox" in Japanese

• パラドックスCommon
  nounThe loanword; covers 'paradox' in logic, mathematics, and science, and is also used for counterintuitive findings or situations. A safe default choice in most contexts.
• 逆説ぎゃくせつCommon
  nounThe Sino-Japanese equivalent, likewise meaning 'paradox'; it often stresses a statement that seems self-contradictory yet captures a truth, and appears frequently in essays and argumentative writing.
  「急いそげば急いそぐほど遅おそくなる」は逆説ぎゃくせつである。↗

  More haste, less speed is a paradox.

Both words translate 'paradox' and largely overlap; 「パラドックス」 is the loanword usable in most contexts, while 逆説 is the Sino-Japanese term typical of essays and argumentative writing about seemingly contradictory truths.

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

• パラドックスparadox
• 逆説ぎゃくせつparadox
• 自己矛盾じこむじゅんself-contradiction