How to say "privacy" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- nounThe loanword for privacy itself: use it when you mean privacy as a concept, right, or concern, for instance in talk of protecting personal information or keeping one's data private.
- 内緒ないしょno-adjectiveIt is about keeping something secret from others, often something shared only with a few: it fits 'privacy' in the sense of keeping matters hidden, not privacy as a right or personal space.彼女は内緒で私にその話をした。↗She told me the story in confidence.
- 内密ないみつna-adjective, no-adjectiveSuggests handling a matter discreetly and confidentially so that it does not become known: it suits confidential handling of affairs rather than privacy as a personal right or sphere.
- 秘密ひみつna-adjective, no-adjectiveMeans a secret: something kept hidden from others. As a rendering of 'privacy' it is only a loose match, and for privacy as a right it is seldom the word you want.
- nounCovers one's personal life and private sphere — the side of life kept apart from work or public view. Choose it when 'privacy' means your own personal life rather than the abstract concept.
Use 「プライバシー」 for privacy as a concept or right and 「プライベート」 for one's personal life; 内緒, 内密 and 秘密 are really about keeping things secret, so they fit 'privacy' only in that sense.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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