1.
confidential; for internal use only; not to be disclosed outside the company
A classification label stamped on documents, files, or information that must not be shared with anyone outside the organization. One of several standard confidentiality levels used in Japanese business.
この資料は社外秘です。
This document is confidential.
社外秘の情報を漏らしてはいけない。
You must not leak confidential company information.
社外秘と書かれた封筒を受け取った。
I received an envelope marked 'confidential.'
この企画書は社外秘扱いでお願いします。
Please treat this proposal as confidential.
Composed of 社外 (outside the company) and 秘 (secret, confidential). The word literally means "secret from those outside the company" and is used as a classification stamp on documents.
Japanese companies typically use a hierarchy of confidentiality labels. From least to most restrictive: 社外秘 (not to be shared outside the company), 部外秘 (not to be shared outside the department), and 極秘 (top secret). 社外秘 is the most commonly encountered level.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 社外秘の資料: confidential documents
- 社外秘扱い: treated as confidential
- 社外秘情報: confidential information
- 社外秘を漏らす: to leak confidential information
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 部外秘: restricted to one's own department — more restrictive, limited to a specific division
- 極秘: top secret, strictly confidential — the highest level of secrecy
- 機密: classified, confidential — a broader, more general term for secrecy, not limited to corporate contexts