How to say "pollution" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 汚染おせんnoun, suru verb, transitive verb, intransitive verbThe all-purpose word for pollution and contamination: polluted air, water or soil, or contaminated food. When you just mean that something is polluted, this is the word to reach for.
- 公害こうがいnounPollution as a public harm or social problem — fumes, noise or waste damaging people's health and surroundings. It treats pollution as an issue for the community, not the state of one contaminated thing.
- 汚濁おだくnoun, suru verb, intransitive verbPollution or contamination, with the further senses of moral corruption and graft. For talking about environmental pollution in ordinary language this is seldom the word you want — reach for 汚染 instead.
Use 汚染 for pollution or contamination of something in general, 公害 for pollution as a public or social problem; 汚濁 is seldom the everyday choice and also means moral corruption or graft.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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