1.
public and private; official and personal
The two spheres of public (official, work-related) and private (personal) life. Often used to discuss the balance or separation between the two.
公私を分ける。
To separate public and private matters.
公私ともに忙しい毎日だ。
Every day is busy both at work and in private life.
公私混同は避けるべきだと上司に言われた。
My boss told me I should avoid mixing public and private matters.
Composed of 公 (public, official) + 私 (private, personal). A compact compound that refers to both spheres of life and is often used to discuss the relationship between them.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 公私を分ける: to separate work and personal life
- 公私混同: mixing public and private matters (negative connotation)
- 公私ともに: both publicly and privately
- 公私にわたって: across both public and private domains
USAGE:
Often appears in workplace discussions about professionalism. 公私混同 (blurring the line between public and private) is considered unprofessional in Japanese business culture — for example, using company resources for personal purposes or letting personal relationships affect business decisions.
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 公: public, official — the standalone noun form
- 私的: private, personal — an adjective for personal matters
- オンオフ: on-off — a casual loanword expression for work-life balance