How to say "self-esteem" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 自尊心じそんしんnounCovers a person's sense of self-respect and worth, and can shade into self-importance or conceit; the typical context is pride being wounded by criticism or failure.
- nounA straight loanword of 'self-esteem,' used where the English term itself would appear, such as psychology, counseling, and self-help talk about feeling good about oneself.
- 自尊感情じそんかんじょうnounThe term for self-esteem as a measurable psychological construct; you meet it in psychology research and assessment contexts rather than casual talk about someone's pride.
- 自己肯定感じここうていかんnounFrames self-esteem as the feeling of accepting and approving of oneself as one is; typical of well-being and self-help discussion, where the emphasis is on self-acceptance rather than pride.
- 自負心じふしんnounReally pride or confidence in one's own abilities, sometimes tipping into conceit; seldom the word you want for plain self-esteem — choose it only when that sense of pride is the point.
Use 自尊心 for self-respect or pride that can be wounded, 自尊感情 in psychology writing, 「セルフエスティーム」 as the direct loanword, 自己肯定感 for self-acceptance, and 自負心 only for pride in one's abilities.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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