文化|ぶんかbunka[1]atamadaka (head-high)
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- nounculture; civilization; civilisation
- nounBunka era (1804.2.11-1818.4.22)
- SynonymカルチャーNeutralLoanword for culture or personal cultivation; mostly used in compounds such as 「カルチャーセンター」 and 「カルチャーショック」.
- Synonym文明ぶんめいWrittenFormal, written word for a society with highly developed technology and institutions, as in 「古代文明」; stresses the material side, where 「文化」 stresses the spiritual.
- SynonymシビライゼーションNeutralLoanword for civilization; rare, seen mostly in proper names or when a speaker deliberately uses a foreign term.
- Antonym自然しぜんNeutralOpposite of the human-made sense of 「文化」: the natural state, untouched by human hands.
- Antonym野蛮やばんWrittenFormal, written word for the uncivilized; the opposite of 「文化」 and 「文明」.
Default to 「文化」. 「文明」 is for societies with advanced technology and institutions; it stresses the material side, 「文化」 the spiritual. 「カルチャー」 mostly appears in compounds. Use 「自然」 for the untouched natural state and 「野蛮」 for the uncivilized.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only


