俗(ぞく)

ぞく
noun, prefix
the secular world; vulgarity; colloquial usage
spokenwrittensocietylanguage
1. the secular world; the mundane; worldly affairs
The ordinary, non-religious world of everyday human concerns, as opposed to the sacred or monastic life.
俗(ぞく)を離(はな)れた生活(せいかつ)を送(おく)る。
To lead a life removed from worldly affairs.
僧侶(そうりょ)が俗(ぞく)に戻(もど)ることを還俗(げんぞく)という。
When a Buddhist monk returns to secular life, it is called genzoku.
彼(かれ)の趣味(しゅみ)は俗(ぞく)だと言(い)われた。
His tastes were said to be vulgar.
2. vulgarity; coarseness; lack of refinement
A quality of being common, crude, or lacking in taste and elegance.
俗(ぞく)っぽい言(い)い方(かた)は避(さ)けたほうがいい。
You should avoid vulgar ways of speaking.
俗(ぞく)な話(はなし)で恐縮(きょうしゅく)ですが、給料(きゅうりょう)はいくらですか。
Forgive the indelicate question, but what is the salary?
あの小説(しょうせつ)は俗(ぞく)受(う)けを狙(ねら)った作品(さくひん)だ。
That novel is a work aimed at popular appeal.
3. colloquial; popular; common (as prefix)
When used as a prefix, indicates the popular or everyday version of something, as opposed to the official or formal version.
俗(ぞく)に「猫舌(ねこじた)」と言(い)う。
It is colloquially called 'nekojita' (cat tongue).
俗(ぞく)に言(い)う「五月病(ごがつびょう)」にかかった。
I came down with what is popularly known as 'May sickness.'
正式(せいしき)名称(めいしょう)は長(なが)いので、俗(ぞく)名(めい)で呼(よ)ばれている。
The official name is long, so it is known by its popular name.

A versatile kanji-based word with roots in Chinese philosophy, contrasting the sacred (聖(せい)) with the mundane (俗(ぞく)). In modern Japanese, the prefix sense (俗(ぞく)に言(い)う, 'as it is popularly called') is the most frequently encountered usage.

Usage

  • The phrase 俗(ぞく)に言(い)う ('as they say colloquially; popularly known as') is extremely common in writing and speech when introducing a popular term, nickname, or folk expression.
  • As a prefix, 俗(ぞく) forms compounds: 俗名(ぞくめい) ('common name; popular name'), 俗語(ぞくご) ('slang; colloquial expression'), 俗説(ぞくせつ) ('popular belief; folk theory').
  • As a standalone adjective-like noun, 俗(ぞく)な describes something as vulgar, crude, or lowbrow.

Common collocations

Similar words

  • 世俗(せぞく): the secular world — emphasizes the worldly, non-religious dimension
  • 卑俗(ひぞく): vulgar; base — stronger negative judgment than 俗(ぞく) alone
  • 通俗(つうぞく): popular; accessible — positive spin: easy for ordinary people to understand
  • 風俗(ふうぞく): customs; manners — social customs and practices of a time or place
general
Added 2026.4.19 0:21 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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