1.
word of mouth; hearsay
Information or news passed from person to person through spoken conversation rather than written communication.
その店は口伝で広まった。
That shop became popular through word of mouth.
口伝で聞いた話だから、正確かどうかわからない。
I heard it through word of mouth, so I'm not sure if it's accurate.
あのレストランは口伝だけで予約がいっぱいになる。
That restaurant fills up with reservations through word of mouth alone.
2.
oral tradition; oral transmission
The practice of passing down knowledge, stories, or techniques verbally from one generation to the next.
この技術は口伝で伝えられてきた。
This technique has been passed down through oral tradition.
文字がなかった時代は、歴史が口伝で次の世代に伝えられた。
In the era before writing, history was passed to the next generation through oral tradition.
師匠から弟子への口伝によって、伝統芸能は守られてきた。
Traditional performing arts have been preserved through oral transmission from master to apprentice.
Emphasizes that information travels through spoken word rather than written or digital means. The same kanji 口伝 read as くでん refers specifically to secret oral teachings in traditional arts or religion, while くちづて is the everyday word for word-of-mouth communication.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 口伝で広まる: to spread by word of mouth
- 口伝で聞く: to hear through word of mouth
- 口伝で伝える: to pass on orally
- 口伝で伝わる: to be passed down orally
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 口伝: secret oral teachings transmitted within a tradition (more formal, specialized)
- 口コミ: word-of-mouth reviews or recommendations, especially for products and restaurants (modern, casual)
- 伝聞: hearsay; information received secondhand (more formal, often used in legal or journalistic contexts)