1.
faithful, loyal, devoted
Steadfastly devoted to a person, cause, or duty. Used for people, animals, or attitudes that show unwavering loyalty.
犬は飼い主に忠実だ。
Dogs are loyal to their owners.
彼は会社に忠実な社員だ。
He is a loyal employee to the company.
忠実な部下が最後まで彼を支えた。
His faithful subordinates supported him until the end.
2.
faithful, true to, accurate
Accurately reproducing or following the original. Used for translations, adaptations, or reproductions that closely match their source.
原作に忠実な映画だ。
It's a film that is faithful to the original work.
事実に忠実に報道する。
To report faithfully to the facts.
この翻訳は原文に忠実でありながら、自然な日本語になっている。
This translation is faithful to the original while still reading naturally in Japanese.
忠実 is a na-adjective with two main uses: loyalty to a person/cause, and fidelity to a source.
FORMS:
- 忠実な + noun: a faithful/loyal 〜
- 忠実に + verb: faithfully (adverb)
- Xに忠実: faithful to X (most common pattern)
SENSE 1 (LOYALTY):
- 飼い主に忠実: loyal to one's owner
- 忠実な部下: a faithful subordinate
- 義務に忠実: devoted to one's duty
SENSE 2 (FIDELITY):
- 原作に忠実: faithful to the original
- 事実に忠実: true to the facts
- 忠実に再現する: to faithfully reproduce
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 誠実: sincere, honest (about character in general)
- 忠誠: loyalty, allegiance (noun, more formal/abstract)