1.
spontaneity; acting of one's own accord
Doing something on one's own initiative, without being told or forced. Most often seen in the derived forms 自発的 (spontaneous, voluntary) and 自発的に (voluntarily).
自発を重んじる。
We value spontaneity.
学生の自発を大切にしたい。
I want to cherish the students' own initiative.
命令ではなく、一人一人の自発に基づいて動くチームだ。
It's a team that acts on each member's own initiative rather than on orders.
Formed from 自 (self) + 発 (issue, originate). The bare noun is somewhat formal; in everyday Japanese the derived forms are far more common.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 自発的: spontaneous; voluntary
- 自発的に: voluntarily, of one's own accord
- 自発性: spontaneity; self-motivation (as a trait)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 自主: independence; autonomy — emphasizes acting independently of others' control
- 自然発生: spontaneous occurrence — emphasizes something arising naturally without a deliberate cause