不敬(ふけい)

ふけい
adjective-na, noun
disrespectful; irreverent; impious
1. disrespectful; irreverent; impious
Showing a lack of proper respect, especially toward persons of high status, sacred things, or social superiors. Carries a serious, formal tone.
それは不敬(ふけい)な発言(はつげん)だ。
That is a disrespectful remark.
神社(じんじゃ)で不敬(ふけい)な振(ふ)る舞(ま)いは慎(つつし)むべきだ。
One should refrain from irreverent behavior at a shrine.
戦前(せんぜん)の日本(にほん)では、天皇(てんのう)に対(たい)する不敬(ふけい)は厳(きび)しく罰(ばっ)せられた。
In prewar Japan, disrespect toward the Emperor was severely punished.

A formal word indicating a failure to show proper respect toward authority, the sacred, or social superiors. Historically, 不敬(ふけい)罪(ざい) (lèse-majesté) was a criminal offense in Japan before the postwar legal reforms. Today the word is used more broadly but retains a serious, weighty tone.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 不敬(ふけい)罪(ざい) — lèse-majesté; crime of disrespecting the emperor
  • 不敬(ふけい)な態度(たいど) — disrespectful attitude
  • 不敬(ふけい)な発言(はつげん) — disrespectful remark
  • 不敬(ふけい)に当(あ)たる — to constitute disrespect

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • 失礼(しつれい) — rude, impolite; everyday word for being rude, much lighter than 不敬(ふけい)
  • 無礼(ぶれい) — discourteous, rude; stronger than 失礼(しつれい) but not as heavy as 不敬(ふけい)
  • 冒涜(ぼうとく) — blasphemy, profanation; specifically desecrating something sacred
general
Added 2026.3.26 10:22
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