偽善(ぎぜん)

ぎぜん
noun
hypocrisy
1. hypocrisy, pretense of virtue
The practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs that one's behavior does not conform to.
それは偽善(ぎぜん)だ。
That's hypocrisy.
彼(かれ)の言動(げんどう)は偽善(ぎぜん)に満(み)ちている。
His words and actions are full of hypocrisy.
偽善(ぎぜん)者(しゃ)だと批判(ひはん)された。
He was criticized as a hypocrite.

偽善(ぎぜん) is a strongly negative term describing false virtue — pretending to be good or moral while acting otherwise. The kanji break down as 偽(ぎ) (false) + 善(ぜん) (goodness, virtue).

Common expressions

  • 偽善(ぎぜん)者(しゃ): hypocrite (person)
  • 偽善(ぎぜん)的(てき)（な）: hypocritical
  • 偽善(ぎぜん)に満(み)ちた: full of hypocrisy

Common patterns

Similar words

  • 善意(ぜんい): goodwill, good intentions (genuine)
  • 偽善(ぎぜん): pretended goodness (false)

Usage

Often used to accuse someone of insincere kindness or charity, particularly in public discourse. Calling something 偽善(ぎぜん) is a serious accusation.

Related Words

Related: 偽(にせ) (fake, counterfeit)
Compare: 善意(ぜんい) (goodwill, good intentions)
general
Added 2026.2.5 20:49 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
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