たくらむ・企むtakuramu[3]nakadaka (mid-high)

1. godan verb, transitive verbto scheme; to plan; to play a trick; to invent; to conspire; to frame up
   彼かれは何なんか企たくらんでいるように思おもえる。↗

   I think he is planning something.

• Synonym画策かくさくWrittenWritten/formal prose. Suggests maneuvering behind the scenes to bring something off, usually with a bad connotation, as in 「裏で画策する」. 企む is more colloquial.
• Synonym仕組むしくむNeutralNeutral. Sets things up so events unfold as intended, as in 「仕組まれた罠」; the emphasis is on the careful design rather than covert scheming.
• Synonym企てるくわだてるNeutralNeutral. Covers planning or attempting something, whether neutral or bad, as in 「反乱を企てる」, and also launching an undertaking. 企む adds a sense of secret scheming.
• Synonym図るはかるNeutralNeutral. To seek or work for something, as in 「解決を図る」; mostly neutral in tone. 企む carries a shade of covert scheming.
• Synonym目論むもくろむNeutralNeutral. To calculate or intend something, as in 「一儲けを目論む」, sometimes with a slightly negative shade. 企む stresses covert plotting, usually of bad deeds or pranks.
• SynonymたばかるWrittenWritten/formal prose and rather old-fashioned, rare. Plots to deceive someone, as in 「まんまと謀られた」. 企む is scheming in general, not necessarily involving deception.
• SynonymたくむWrittenWritten/formal prose and rare. Crafts things ingeniously and can also mean to scheme, as in 「巧まざるユーモア」. Far less used than 企む.
• Synonym策するさくするWrittenWritten/formal prose and rare. Works out stratagems. 企む is more colloquial and carries a stronger sense of covert scheming.
• Related企画きかくNeutralNeutral. Plans events, products and the like, as in 「企画会議」. 企む usually implies covert plotting, though it can jokingly mean secretly preparing a surprise.
• Related計画けいかくNeutralNeutral and the most general word for planning, with no bad connotation, as in 「旅行の計画」. 企む means scheming in secret, often with bad intent or a prank in mind.
• Related構想こうそうWrittenWritten/formal prose. A conception or vision of something, as in 「都市構想」; the focus is on the overall framework, with no negative shade.
• Related企図きとWrittenWritten/formal prose. Intending or undertaking to do something, as in 「企図した通り」, in a neutral tone. 企む carries a shade of covert scheming.
• Related意図いとNeutralNeutral. An intention or purpose, as in 「発言の意図」. 企む has a conspiratorial color that 意図 lacks.
• Related狙うねらうNeutralNeutral. To aim at something or watch for a chance to get it, as in 「チャンスを狙う」; not necessarily bad, the focus being on eyeing a target.
• Related謀議ぼうぎWrittenWritten/formal prose. Conspiring together, as in 「共同謀議」; common in legal and news contexts, and by extension any secret joint plotting.
• Related策謀さくぼうWrittenWritten/formal prose. A noun for scheming and intrigue, close in sense to 企む; found mainly in news reports and expository writing.
• Related魂胆こんたんNeutralNeutral. A noun for an ulterior motive one harbors, as in 「魂胆が見え見え」, while 「企む」 is the verb for devising or secretly planning such a scheme.

Use 「企む」 for secretly plotting something bad, as in 「何か企んでいる」. For neutral planning the default is 「計画」; 「企てる」 covers neutral or bad plans, and 「画策」 is the formal word for behind-the-scenes maneuvering. 「魂胆」 names the ulterior motive one harbors. 「企画」 suits events and products, 「構想」 broad visions, 「意図」 intentions, 「狙う」 eyeing a target, 「図る」 working toward a goal, 「仕組む」 engineered setups. The rest — 「目論む」, 「謀る」, 「巧む」, 「策する」, 「企図」, 「謀議」, 「策謀」 — are rarer and mostly written.

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

1. 悪事あくじを計画けいかくする。