1.
mission, duty, mandate
A task or responsibility entrusted to someone, often of great importance. Used for official duties, organizational goals, or a sense of purpose.
使命 refers to an important duty, mission, or calling — a responsibility entrusted to someone, often implying a higher purpose.
Forms
使 (use, envoy) + 命 (command, life) = a commanded purpose
Common collocations
- 使命を果たす: to fulfill a mission
- 使命を帯びる: to be entrusted with a mission
- 使命感: sense of mission, sense of purpose
- 歴史的使命: historical mission
- 使命を全うする: to carry out one's mission completely
Similar words
- 使命: mission, calling (implies higher purpose or destiny)
- 任務: duty, assignment (more concrete, assigned task)
- 役割: role (function within a group)
- 天職: vocation, calling (emphasis on being naturally suited)
使命 is weightier than 任務. A soldier has a 任務 (assigned task), but a doctor may feel saving lives is their 使命 (calling).
Register
Slightly formal. Common in speeches, organizational mission statements, and personal expressions of purpose.