発明|はつめいhatsumei[0]heiban (flat)

1. noun, suru verb, transitive verbinvention
   エジソンが電球でんきゅうを発明はつめいした。↗

   Edison invented the light bulb.
2. na-adjectiveintelligent; clever; smart

• Synonym考案こうあんNeutralThinking up a new method or design, e.g. 「新しい遊びを考案する」; 「発明」 stresses creating something never seen before.
• Synonym工夫くふうNeutralDevising ways and refining how things are done, e.g. 「工夫を凝らす」; the focus is on improving existing methods rather than creating something new.
• Synonym創造そうぞうNeutralCreating something unprecedented, e.g. 「天地創造」「創造力」; leans abstract and artistic.
• Synonym創出そうしゅつWrittenWritten word for bringing new things into being, e.g. 「雇用の創出」; common in economics and policy contexts.
• Synonym考え出すかんがえだすNeutralVerb meaning to think something out, e.g. 「方法を考え出す」; common in everyday speech.
• Synonym編み出すあみだすNeutralWorking out a new method or technique through repeated effort, e.g. 「必殺技を編み出す」; implies persistent trial and error.
• SynonymインヴェンションNeutralA loanword for invention, but rarely used in everyday speech; say 「発明」 instead.
• SynonymクリエイションNeutralLoanword for creation; mostly seen in fashion and advertising.
• Synonym案出あんしゅつWrittenWritten word for contriving or thinking up a scheme; rare in modern usage.
• Synonym創案そうあんWrittenWritten word for an original conception, thinking something up first; common in patents and design.
• Synonym創製そうせいWrittenWritten word for producing something for the first time, such as products or drugs; 「発明」 stresses the novelty of the creation.
• Synonym発明品はつめいひんNeutralThe thing invented — a concrete object; 「発明」 also covers the act of inventing.
• Related創作そうさくNeutralCreating literary or artistic works, e.g. 「創作活動」; can also mean fabrication, making something up.
• Related着想ちゃくそうNeutralA conception or idea that starts a project, e.g. 「斬新な着想」; the focus is on the starting point of an idea, not the finished invention.
• Related生みうみNeutralGiving birth to or bringing forth; mostly seen in set phrases like 「生みの親」 and 「生みの苦しみ」.
• Related構想こうそうNeutralEnvisioning the overall structure of a project, e.g. 「新しい構想」; the focus is on the planning stage.
• Related制作せいさくNeutralProducing works of art, films and the like, e.g. 「映画制作」; the focus is on actually making the thing.
• Related捻り出すひねりだすCasualColloquial: racking your brains to come up with something, or scraping together money and time; implies strain.
• Antonym模倣もほうNeutralImitation or copying — the opposite of the originality of 「発明」.

Use 「発明」 for creating a new thing or method that never existed before. For thinking up a scheme or device, say 「考案」; for improving how something is done, 「工夫」; for artistic creation, 「創造」 or 「創作」. 「着想」 and 「構想」 refer to ideas at the conception or planning stage, and verbs such as 「考え出す」「編み出す」「捻り出す」 describe the act of thinking something up. 「模倣」 is the opposite: copying rather than inventing.

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

1. 従来じゅうらいみられなかった新規しんきな物ものや方法ほうほうを考え出かんがえだすこと。
2. （古風こふう）さとること。理解りかいすること。気きがつくこと。
3. （古風こふう）利発りはつ。賢明けんめい。