兆候・徴候|ちょうこうchoukou[0]heiban (flat)

1. nounsign; indication; omen; symptom
   私わたしたちはそれらの徴候ちょうこうを常つねに意識いしきしている。↗

   We are always conscious of the signs.

• Synonym兆しきざしNeutralA native word for signs just beginning to appear, good or bad, as in 「回復の兆し」; 「兆候」 is a Sino-Japanese word that can also mean symptoms.
• Synonym前兆ぜんちょうWrittenWritten register: a portent preceding an event, as in 「地震の前兆」. Close to 「兆候」 in meaning, but 「兆候」 can also refer to symptoms.
• Synonym気配けはいNeutralA faint presence or stir you sense rather than see, as in 「人の気配」; intuitive, while 「兆候」 refers to observable signs.
• Synonym前触れまえぶれNeutralAn advance notice or a harbinger; often seen in 「前触れもなく」. 「兆候」 only denotes a sign, and one that is observable.
• Synonym先触れさきぶれWrittenWritten register: an advance notice or warning, also an omen; used less often. 「兆候」 is an objectively visible sign and more common in daily use.
• Synonym幸先さいさきWrittenWritten register: a sign at the start of something foretelling good or bad outcomes, as in 「幸先がいい」「幸先が悪い」; 「兆候」 is not limited to beginnings.
• Synonym予兆よちょうWrittenWritten register: a portent before an event occurs, as in 「噴火の予兆」. Similar to 「兆候」, which can also refer to symptoms.
• SynonymオーメンCasualA colloquial loanword for a sign foretelling the future, often with an ominous nuance; rare in everyday use. 「兆候」 is more common and can also mean symptoms.
• Related現れあらわれNeutralHow something manifests or shows itself, as in 「誠意の現れ」「努力の現れ」; 「兆候」 looks ahead to what is going to happen.
• Related息吹いぶきWrittenWritten register: breath, or the fresh stirrings of something new, as in 「春の息吹」; literary in flavor. 「兆候」 is a more objective sign.
• Related気色けしきWrittenWritten register: signs read in the weather or in a person's face; rather archaic. 「兆候」 is more objective, common for illness and the economy.

Use 「兆候」 for observable signs that something is about to happen, or for symptoms, as in 「景気回復の兆候」. For signs just beginning to show, pick 「兆し」; for omens before an event, 「前兆」 or 「予兆」; for a faintly felt presence, 「気配」; for a sign at the very start of something, 「幸先」.

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

1. 何なんかの前触まえぶれ。兆きざし。