献身|けんしんkenshin[0]heiban (flat)

Common
Definitions
  1. noun, suru verb, intransitive verbdevotion; dedication; self-sacrifice
    Office managers expect accuracy, efficiency, and dedication.
Conjugation
Dictionary form献身する(けんしんする)
Polite (masu)献身します(けんしんします)
Negative (nai)献身しない(けんしんしない)
polite (masen)献身しません(けんしんしません)
classical zu / nu献身せず・献身せぬ(けんしんせず・けんしんせぬ)
Past (ta)献身した(けんしんした)
polite (mashita)献身しました(けんしんしました)
Past negative (nakatta)献身しなかった(けんしんしなかった)
polite (masen deshita)献身しませんでした(けんしんしませんでした)
Te form献身して(けんしんして)
Potential献身できる(けんしんできる)
Passive献身される(けんしんされる)
Causative献身させる(けんしんさせる)
Causative passive献身させられる(けんしんさせられる)
Conditional (ba)献身すれば(けんしんすれば)
tara献身したら(けんしんしたら)
Volitional献身しよう(けんしんしよう)
polite (mashou)献身しましょう(けんしんしましょう)
Imperative献身しろ(けんしんしろ)

Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.

Synonyms & antonyms
  • Synonym自己犠牲じこぎせいWrittenMeans giving up your own interests or happiness for others, with the sacrifice itself front and center; 「献身」 stresses wholehearted devotion, as in 「献身的な看護」.
  • Related忠誠ちゅうせいWrittenUnswerving loyalty to a lord, nation, or organization; 「献身」 takes a broader range of objects — patients, a cause, and the like.
  • Related傾注けいちゅうWrittenPouring energy or passion into something, as in 「全力を傾注する」; 「献身」 stresses sacrificing yourself for others.
  • Related忠義ちゅうぎWrittenLoyalty to one's lord, to others, or to a group, with an air of a bygone era; 「献身」 centers on self-sacrificing devotion.
  • Related忠勤ちゅうきんWrittenWritten word for faithful, diligent service in one's post; 「献身」 stresses willingness to sacrifice yourself.
  • Related忠節ちゅうせつWrittenLoyalty and fidelity to a lord, with an archaic ring; 「献身」 is not limited to a lord-vassal relationship.
  • Related忠義立てちゅうぎだてCasualColloquial: acts or attitudes of loyalty to a lord or organization, sometimes with a sense of deliberate display; 「献身」 is about self-sacrificing dedication.
  • Related誠忠せいちゅうWrittenWritten word for sincere, wholehearted loyalty, used rarely; 「献身」 centers on self-sacrificing devotion.
  • Related忠順ちゅうじゅんWrittenFaithful obedience to a superior's orders; 「献身」 stresses active, self-driven dedication.
  • Related忠ちゅうWrittenLoyalty and devotion as a Confucian virtue; 「献身」 is concrete, self-sacrificing dedication.
  • Antonym利己りこWrittenAntonym: seeking only your own gain — the direct opposite of 「献身」.
  • Antonym自己中心じこちゅうしんNeutralAntonym: putting yourself at the center and ignoring others — the opposite of 「献身」.

Use 「献身」 for devoting yourself, at personal cost, to others or to a cause. When the sacrifice itself is the point, say 「自己犠牲」; for loyalty to a lord or organization, 「忠誠」 or 「忠義」 fits better. The other 忠-words serve narrower, often old-fashioned contexts; 「利己」 and 「自己中心」 are the opposites.

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

Japanese definitions
  1. 自分じぶんの身みを犠牲ぎせいにして他人たにんのために尽つくすこと。惜おしみなく努力どりょくすること。
Kanji in this word
English equivalents
See also

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