1.
sexual intercourse; sexual activity; sexual act
Physical sexual activity between individuals. A neutral, formal term used in medical, legal, and educational contexts.
A compound of 性 (sex; gender) and 行為 (act; conduct). This is the standard formal, neutral term for sexual activity in Japanese, used in medical documents, legal texts, health education, and news reporting. It carries no vulgar or casual connotation.
Common collocations
- 性行為感染症: sexually transmitted infection
- 同意のある性行為: consensual sexual activity
- 性行為に及ぶ: to engage in sexual activity (formal)
- 安全な性行為: safe sex
Similar words
- セックス: sex — direct loanword, less formal
- 性交: sexual intercourse — clinical/medical term, narrower in scope
- 営み: intimate relations (euphemistic) — a literary, indirect way to refer to sexual activity