How to say "self-interest" in Japanese

• 利己りこCommon
  nounCovers self-interest as plain egoism or self-centeredness. It is the most direct, abstract way to talk about acting for one's own benefit, often in discussions of human nature or ethics.
  彼女かのじょは利己りこ一点張いってんばりの女おんなだ。↗

  She puts her own interests above everything else.
• 私欲しよくCommon
  nounEmphasizes selfish desire — self-interest as a personal appetite one should curb. Common in moralistic or critical contexts, as in being swayed by one's own desires rather than the public good.
• 私利しりCommon
  nounStresses self-interest as personal profit or gain, especially material. It typically appears in criticism of someone pursuing their own advantage at the expense of others or the public interest.
• 打算ださんCommon
  noun, suru verb, transitive verbFrames self-interest as calculation: weighing what benefits oneself before acting. Use it when the sense is cold, calculating selfishness rather than desire, as in acting from calculation alone.
• 私情しじょうCommon
  nounNarrowly means personal feelings or private interests, especially when they bias a decision that should be impartial. It suits self-interest in the sense of letting private feelings override duty.

All five translate the general idea of self-interest, so choose by nuance: 利己 is plain selfishness, 私欲 and 私利 stress personal desire or profit, 打算 emphasizes calculated self-interest, and 私情 personal feelings clouding judgment.

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

• 利己りこself-interest
• 私欲しよくself-interest
• 私利しりself-interest
• 打算ださんcalculation
• 私利私欲しりしよくself-interest
• 欲得よくとくselfishness
• 私情しじょうself-interest