How to say "probation" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 見習いみならいnounCovers the workplace sense: a trainee or apprentice period learning a job by observation and practice. If 'probation' refers to employment or a trial training period, this is the word; it has no legal sense.
- 保護観察ほごかんさつnounThe legal and criminal-justice sense: court-ordered supervision of an offender in the community instead of or after custody. A less common, technical term; this is the word you want only for that meaning.
Use 「見習い」 for the work/training sense of 'probation', meaning learning a job under supervision; use 保護観察 for the legal sense of supervised release from custody.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
