How to say "vision" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- nounCovers 'vision' as an inspiring picture of the future — a goal or ideal to work toward, typical of business and personal planning. It is not the word for eyesight.
- 幻想げんそうnoun, suru verb, transitive verbMatches 'vision' as a scene imagined in the mind, a dreamlike or illusory image. It is really 'fantasy' or 'illusion', fitting when the vision is something imagined rather than physically seen.
- 視覚しかくnounCovers 'vision' as the sense of sight — the faculty of perceiving through the eyes. Choose it when discussing how people or animals see, in descriptions of perception.
- 幻まぼろしno-adjectiveMatches 'vision' as an apparition — something seen that is not really there, such as a phantom. It is really 'phantom' or 'illusion', so it suits a vision in the ghostly, unreal-image sense.
- 視力しりょくnounCovers 'vision' as eyesight — how well the eyes see, as in good or failing vision. It is the word for visual acuity, not for sight as a sense or for a mental image.
Use 「ビジョン」 for an inspiring future plan, 視覚 for sight as a sense, 視力 for sharpness of eyesight, 幻想 for imagined scenes, and 幻 for apparitions or phantoms.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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