色欲(しきよく)

しきよく
noun
lust; sexual desire; carnal desire
religionemotion
1. lust; sexual desire; carnal desire
Strong sexual desire or craving, often with a negative or moralistic connotation. Originally a Buddhist term referring to one of the worldly desires that lead to suffering.
色欲(しきよく)に溺(おぼ)れる。
To drown in lust.
色欲(しきよく)は仏教(ぶっきょう)で煩悩(ぼんのう)の一(ひと)つとされている。
Lust is considered one of the worldly desires in Buddhism.
その王(おう)は色欲(しきよく)に目(め)がくらみ、国(くに)を滅(ほろ)ぼしたと伝(つた)えられている。
It is said that the king was blinded by lust and brought his kingdom to ruin.

A literary and somewhat formal term rooted in Buddhist philosophy. 色(しき) here refers to physical/sensory phenomena (particularly related to the body and sexuality), and 欲(よく) means desire or craving. In Buddhism, 色欲(しきよく) is one of the 五欲(ごよく) (five desires) that bind humans to the cycle of suffering.

In modern Japanese, the word carries a strong negative or moralizing tone and appears most often in literary, religious, or historical contexts rather than casual conversation.

Common collocations

Similar words

Related Words

Compare: 性欲(せいよく) (sexual desire)
Compare: 欲望(よくぼう) (desire, craving)
Compare: 煩悩(ぼんのう) (worldly desires)
Compare: 愛欲(あいよく) (lust)
Compare: 好色(こうしょく) (lustful)
general
Added 2026.4.30 0:26 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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