魂胆|こんたんkontan[1]atamadaka (head-high)

1. nounulterior motive; plot; scheme
2. nouncomplicated circumstances; intricacies

• Synonym意図いとWrittenWritten: what one intends or aims to do; neutral, with no malice implied.
• Synonym策謀さくぼうWrittenWritten: strategy and scheming, stressing manipulative tactics; 「魂胆」 stresses the bad intent hidden in one's heart.
• Synonym心づもりこころづもりNeutralA plan or expectation held in the mind, stressing arrangements thought out in advance. Neutral, with none of the bad intent implied by 「魂胆」.
• Synonym腹づもりはらづもりCasualColloquial: an intention settled in advance in one's mind, fairly neutral. 「魂胆」 instead implies a sinister purpose behind it.
• Synonym心算しんさんNeutralA plan or calculation made in the mind; rare in speech, and fairly neutral in tone.
• RelatedたくらむNeutralA verb for plotting something bad; stresses actively scheming wrongdoing, more active than 「魂胆」.
• Related陰謀いんぼうWrittenWritten: a bad plan hatched in secret, also a conspiracy between people to commit a crime. 「魂胆」 points to intent hidden in the heart.
• Related謀略ぼうりゃくWrittenWritten: a scheme aimed at trapping people, found mostly in political and military contexts.
• Related謀議ぼうぎWrittenWritten: secretly conferring on a plot; stresses several people plotting a scheme together.
• Related謀はかりごとWrittenWritten: a stratagem thought out in advance; its nuance can be favourable or unfavourable.
• Related仕組むしくむNeutralA verb: to devise or arrange things in advance, stressing a trap laid beforehand.
• Related図るはかるWrittenTo aim for or strive for something, stressing the effort to realize a goal, as in 「解決を図る」.
• Related目論むもくろむWrittenWritten style: to plan or scheme, stressing the calculations one makes in one's head; not necessarily malicious.
• RelatedたばかるWrittenWritten, old-fashioned and rarely used; stresses deceiving people with a trick or scheme.
• Related悪巧みわるだくみCasualColloquial: a scheme for doing something bad, close to 「魂胆」 in sense; 「魂胆」 stresses the intent kept hidden in one's heart.

Use 「魂胆」 for a bad intent hidden in the heart; it is derogatory, as in 「何か魂胆がある」 and 「魂胆が見え見え」. For a neutral plan made in advance choose 「心づもり」, and for a plot or conspiracy 「陰謀」. To speak of the act rather than the intent, use the verbs 「企む」 or 「仕組む」; 「意図」 is a neutral intention without malice, and 「図る」 is for striving to achieve a goal.

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

1. 心こころに抱いだいている企たくらみ。