The Meaning of haji [恥] In Japanese

恥
はじ
Romaji: haji N5

What does 恥 mean?

Translation and Meaning

shame, embarrassment

Definition

恥 means the feeling of shame or embarrassment in social contexts. It refers to the subjective sense of fault or impropriety in one’s actions as judged by social norms, often prompting avoidance, apology, or restrained behavior.

Type

Noun (名詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • shame or embarrassment as a social emotion tied to reputation and accepted norms.
  • moral self-reproach or a sense of personal fault in relation to others’ expectations.
  • related phrases and concepts such as 恥を知る, 恥をかく, and 恥じらい used to describe varying degrees of self-consciousness.

Etymology

phonetic evolution The kanji 恥 has kun readings such as haji and on readings such as chi, reflecting historical pronunciation shifts; the term has long been used in both classical and modern Japanese to denote the social emotion of shame.

Usage

Used as a noun to denote the feeling of shame in social contexts; common in everyday speech and formal writing, and it appears in phrases like 恥を知る, 恥をかく, 恥じらい, and 恥ずかしい to express different intensities of embarrassment.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: think of haji as Hang Your Head In front of Judge when you feel shame; the sound suggests lowering your gaze and covering your face in public.

Variations

  • 羞恥心 (shūchishin) — sense of shame
  • 恥ずかしさ (hazukashisa) — embarrassment or bashfulness
  • 恥を知る (haji o shiru) — to know one’s shame

Example Phrases

  • 電車の中で 余計な 一言を 口にして しまい 恥ずかしくなった。
    Densha no naka de yokeina Hitokoto o kuchi ni shite shimai hazukashiku natta.
    On the train, I ended up saying an unnecessary remark and felt embarrassed.
    Lista:
    • 電車の中で (Densha no naka de) – on the train
    • 余計な (yokeina) – unnecessary
    • 一言を (Hitokoto o) – one remark
    • 口にして (Kuchi ni shite) – to utter
    • しまい (shimai) – end up
    • 恥ずかしくなった (Hazukashiku natta) – became embarrassed
    In this context, 「余計」 (yokei) means ‘unnecessary/extra’; used in 「余計な一言」 to describe an unnecessary remark that the speaker regrets.
  • 初対面の場で恥をかかないよう、深呼吸をした。
    Shotaimen no ba de haji o kakanai you, shinkokyuu o shita.
    I took a deep breath to avoid embarrassment in a first meeting.
    Lista:
    • 初対面の場で (shotaimen no ba de) – in a first meeting
    • 恥を (haji o) – embarrassment
    • かかないよう (kakanai you) – to avoid embarrassment
    • 深呼吸を (shinkokyuu o) – a deep breath
    • した (shita) – did
    In this sentence, 「恥」 is the noun meaning ‘shame’. It appears in the phrase 恥をかく, used here as 恥をかかないよう to mean ‘to avoid embarrassment’.
恥