エゴ

えご
noun
ego; selfishness; self-centeredness
emotion
1. ego; selfishness; self-centeredness
Selfish attitude or behavior that prioritizes one's own desires over others. From English 'ego.' Carries a strongly negative connotation in Japanese, closer to 'selfishness' than the neutral psychological sense.
それはエゴだよ。
That's just selfishness.
親(おや)のエゴを子(こ)どもに押(お)し付(つ)けるな。
Don't force your parental ego on your children.
環境(かんきょう)保護(ほご)を訴(うった)えながら車(くるま)に乗(の)るのは、エゴではないかと言(い)われた。
I was told that driving a car while advocating for environmental protection is hypocritical selfishness.

Borrowed from English 'ego,' but in Japanese this word almost always carries a negative connotation of selfishness — it is rarely used in the neutral psychological or philosophical sense. When Japanese speakers say エゴ, they typically mean someone is acting selfishly or imposing their own desires.

Common collocations

Similar words

  • 我(わ)がまま: selfishness; willfulness — more colloquial and broader in usage, common in everyday speech
  • 自己中(じこちゅう): self-centered (abbreviation of 自己中心的(じこちゅうしんてき)) — casual/slang, very common among younger speakers
  • 利己的(りこてき): selfish; self-interested — more formal and literary

Related Words

Compare: 利己的(りこてき) (selfish)
general
Added 2026.4.9 3:28 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
23000/23080_ego