1.
love affair; amorous affair; sexual relationship (often illicit)
A romantic or sexual relationship, especially one that is secret, forbidden, or outside of a committed partnership. The word carries a literary or sophisticated tone and often implies a relationship that is morally complex.
秘密の情事が発覚した。
The secret affair was discovered.
その小説は二人の情事を描いている。
The novel depicts the love affair between two people.
政治家の情事がスキャンダルとなり、辞任に追い込まれた。
The politician's affair became a scandal, forcing a resignation.
Combines 情 (emotion, passion, love) and 事 (matter, affair). A literary word that suggests passion, secrecy, and often a transgressive quality.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 秘密の情事: secret affair
- 情事が発覚する: an affair is discovered
- 情事に溺れる: to be consumed by a love affair
- 情事を描く: to depict a love affair
USAGE:
Primarily appears in literary, journalistic, and dramatic contexts. The word has a somewhat elevated register — it would be used in novels, films, and news reports about scandals, rather than in casual conversation. It implies both emotional and physical involvement, and often carries an undertone of secrecy or social taboo.
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 浮気: cheating, infidelity — more colloquial, clearly implies betrayal of a partner
- 不倫: extramarital affair — specifically between a married person and someone outside the marriage; a common news/gossip term
- 恋愛: romance, love — neutral and broad, without the illicit connotation