1.
social conditions; state of the world; state of society
The general atmosphere, trends, and conditions of society at a given time. Encompasses economic conditions, public sentiment, cultural trends, and the overall mood of an era.
世相を反映する。
To reflect the state of society.
今年の漢字は世相をよく表している。
This year's kanji captures the state of society well.
小説を通して当時の世相を知ることができる。
Through novels, you can learn about the social conditions of the time.
Refers to the overall state of society at a particular point in time — its mood, trends, and conditions. Often used when discussing how art, media, or cultural events capture or reflect the spirit of an era.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 世相を反映する: to reflect the state of society
- 世相を映す: to mirror social conditions
- 世相を表す: to represent the state of the world
- 現代の世相: contemporary social conditions
- 暗い世相: grim state of the world
USAGE:
Commonly appears in media commentary, literary criticism, and year-end reflections. Japan's annual '今年の漢字' (kanji of the year) event explicitly aims to capture the 世相 of that year in a single character.
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 世情: the ways of the world, social conditions (more literary)
- 時勢: the times, current trends (emphasizes temporal trends)
- 風潮: trend, tendency (focuses on a particular social movement or direction)