The Meaning of hitsuzen [必然] In Japanese

必然
ひつぜん
Romaji: hitsuzen N1

What does 必然 mean?

Translation and Meaning

inevitability, necessity, inevitable

Definition

必然 means inevitability or necessity; it denotes that something will occur as a necessary consequence given conditions, rather than by chance.

Type

Noun/na-adjective (na-adjective)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • inevitability — hitsuzen
  • necessity or unavoidable outcome — hitsuzensei
  • the adjective form 必然的 meaning ‘inevitable’ — hitsuzenteki
  • opposite or contrasting idea: 偶然 (guuzen) meaning coincidence or chance

Composition

  • 必: must, certain; expresses necessity
  • 然: thus, so; indicates a state or consequence

Usage

Used as a noun to express inevitability; in formal, philosophical, and analytical contexts it signals that a result is determined by conditions and not by random chance; can be followed by の, だ, or used in phrases with -性 or -的 to form related terms; in everyday speech it can appear when people feel a situation is unavoidable.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: Visualize 必 as ‘must’ and 然 as ‘thus’ — together they form the idea of ‘must be so,’ which helps recall that the word denotes inevitability.

Variations

  • 必然性 — hitsuzensei (inevitability)
  • 必然的 — hitsuzenteki (inevitable)
  • 偶然 — guuzen (coincidence, chance)
  • 当然 — tozen (natural, of course)

Example Phrases

  • この 選択 は 必然 だ と 感じる
    kono sentaku wa hitsuzen da to kanjiru
    I feel that this choice is inevitable.
    Lista:
    • この (kono) – this
    • 選択 (sentaku) – choice
    • は (wa) – topic marker
    • 必然 (hitsuzen) – inevitable
    • だ (da) – is
    • と (to) – that
    • 感じる (kanjiru) – feel
    Core idea: 「必然」 means ‘inevitable’; here it describes the situation and is used with だと感じる to express a personal judgement.
必然