The Meaning of sen’nyū [潜入] In Japanese

潜入
せんにゅう
Romaji: sen’nyū N3

What does 潜入 mean?

Translation and Meaning

infiltration, sneaking in

Definition

What does 潜入 mean? It denotes the act of secretly entering a place, often to observe, gather information, or operate undercover; used as a noun and as 潜入する (suru-verb).

Type

Noun, suru-verb (潜入する)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • Covert entry into a location for observation, intelligence gathering, or surveillance
  • The noun form for an infiltration operation in police, military, or investigative contexts
  • Figurative use to describe undercover access to a person or group’s environment

Etymology

sen from 潜 and nyū from 入; 潜入 (sen’nyū) is a compound formed using on’yomi readings; the pronunciation consolidates into sen’nyū, with no kun’yomi used here (潜入 sen’nyū).

Composition

  • 潜 – hide, dive
  • 入 – enter
  • Combined meaning describes entering covertly or while hidden

Usage

Used as a noun or as 潜入する to form a suru-verb; common in formal writing, journalism, law enforcement, espionage contexts, and works of fiction; frequent collocations include 潜入捜査 and 潜入取材, signaling covert entry, undercover investigation, or undercover reporting.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: imagine a shadowy figure hiding (潜) in the wings and then stepping through a door (入) to enter unseen—that moment is 潜入, a sneaky entry.

Variations

  • 侵入 shinnyū – intrusion, infiltration
  • 潜入捜査 sen’nyū sōsa – infiltration investigation
  • 潜入取材 sen’nyū shuzai – undercover reporting

Example Phrases

  • 職場 の 新しい 会議室 に 潜入 した ふり を する。
    Shokuba no atarashii kaigishitsu ni sen’nyū shita furi o suru.
    Pretend to have infiltrated the new conference room at work.
    Lista:
    • 職場 (shokuba) – workplace
    • の (no) – of
    • 新しい (atarashii) – new
    • 会議室 (kaigishitsu) – conference room
    • に (ni) – to
    • 潜入 (sen’nyū) – infiltration
    • した (shita) – did
    • ふり (furi) – pretense
    • を (wo) – object marker
    • する (suru) – do
    In this sentence, 「潜入」 functions as a noun meaning infiltration; it is paired with したふり to convey pretending to do it.
潜入