Translation and Meaning of: 責任 - sekinin
On this page, we will study the meaning of the Japanese word 責任 (sekinin) and its translation into English. Let's see their different meanings, example phrases, explanations, etymology and the similar words.
Romaji: sekinin
Kana: せきにん
Type: noun
L: jlpt-n3
Translation / Meaning: duty; responsibility
Meaning in English: duty;responsibility
Definition: Being accountable for the outcomes of having been entrusted to someone else, organization, or something like that.
Sumário
- Etymology
- Vocabulary
- Writing
- Phrases
Explanation and Etymology - (責任) sekinin
The term 「責任」 (sekinin) is a Japanese expression that means "responsibility." The word is composed of two kanji: 「責」 (seki) and 「任」 (nin). The first kanji, 「責」, has the meaning of "blame" or "to accuse," and was incorporated into Japanese from Chinese, where it also carried the idea of assigning blame or duty. The second kanji, 「任」, conveys the meaning of "to assign" or "to entrust to someone," originating from ancient Chinese, where it was used in contexts of functions or tasks delegated to someone. Together, these kanji form the notion of a delegated responsibility, or the obligation to answer for one's own actions or those of others.
The origin of the expression 「責任」 can be traced historically to when Japan began adopting legal and administrative concepts from China, more precisely during the Asuka and Nara periods. At that time, the Japanese political and social structure began to consolidate, and the vocabulary of law also expanded, integrating ideas and words from the Chinese legal system, which included notions of responsibility. This helped to build a deeper and broader sense of the word in the Japanese social and legal context.
In modern Japanese, 「責任」 is widely used in various situations, from legal and administrative contexts to everyday dialogues, expressing both moral and legal or professional responsibility. It also generates quite common linguistic variations, such as 「責任者」 (sekininsha), referring to the "person responsible" or "person in charge," and 「責任感」 (sekininkan), which represents the "sense of responsibility." These terms illustrate how the idea of responsibility is intertwined in various aspects of Japanese culture, encompassing everything from small daily interactions to formal and legal commitments.
Synonyms and similar words
- 責務 (Sekimu) - Responsibility or formal duty associated with a position.
- 任務 (Ninmu) - Mission or task to be completed.
- 義務 (Gimu) - Moral duty or ethical obligation.
- 重責 (Juuseki) - Great responsibility, usually in high positions.
- 責め (Seme) - Blaming or holding accountable, focus on criticism.
- 責任感 (Sekininkan) - Sense of responsibility or sense of duty.
Words related
Words with the same pronunciation: せきにん sekinin
How to Write in Japanese - (責任) sekinin
See below a step-by-step guide on how to write the word by hand in Japanese (責任) sekinin:
Example Sentences - (責任) sekinin
Below are some example sentences:
Shiiku suru koto wa sekinin ga aru
Taking care of an animal is a responsibility.
Creation is responsible.
- 飼育すること - animal husbandry
- は - topic particle
- 責任 - responsibility
- が - subject particle
- ある - exist
Gyōi ni wa sekinin ga tomonai masu
Actions come with responsibility.
The act is responsible.
- 行為 (kōi) - action, behavior
- には (ni wa) - particle indicating the existence of a relationship between two things
- 責任 (sekinin) - responsibility
- が (ga) - particle that indicates the subject of the sentence
- 伴います (tomoniimasu) - accompany, be with
Ken'gen wo motsu mono wa sekinin ga aru
Those who have authority have responsibility.
Person in authority is responsible.
- 権限 (けんげん) - authority, power
- を - object particle
- 持つ (もつ) - possess, have
- 者 (しゃ) - person, individual
- は - topic particle
- 責任 (せきにん) - responsibility
- が - subject particle
- ある - exist, have
Watashi wa takusan no sekinin o motte imasu
I have many responsibilities.
I have a lot of responsibility.
- 私 (watashi) - Japanese personal pronoun meaning "I"
- は (wa) - Japanese particle that indicates the topic of the sentence, in this case, "I"
- たくさんの (takusan no) - Japanese expression meaning "many" or "much"
- 責任 (sekinin) - Japanese noun meaning "responsibility"
- を (wo) - Japanese particle indicating the direct object of the sentence, in this case "responsibility"
- 持っています (motteimasu) - Japanese verb meaning "to have" or "to possess" in the present continuous tense
Kakugaku no nouryoku ni oite sekinin wo ou
Take responsibility according to your individual abilities.
We are responsible for each skill.
- 各々 (kaku kaku) - each one individually
- の (no) - possession particle
- 能力 (nouryoku) - skill, capacity
- に (ni) - target particle
- 応じて (oujite) - according to, in response to
- 責任 (sekinin) - responsibility
- を (wo) - direct object particle
- 負う (ou) - take over, carry
Kakuzi no nouryoku ni oite sekinin wo ou
Take responsibility according to your own abilities.
Take responsibility according to your abilities.
- 各自の (kakuji no) - each one individually
- 能力に応じて (nouryoku ni oujite) - according to ability
- 責任を負う (sekinin wo ou) - taking responsibility
Kono purojekuto wo matomeru no wa watashi no sekinin desu
It is my responsibility to summarize this project.
- この - This
- プロジェクト - project
- を - direct object of the sentence
- 纏める - lead, coordinate
- のは - particle that indicates the subject of the sentence
- 私 - I
- の - possessive particle
- 責任 - responsibility
- です - verb to be, indicating that the sentence is affirmative and formal
Kono purojekuto o matomeru no wa anata no sekinin desu
It is your responsibility to put this project together.
It is your responsibility to summarize this project.
- この - demonstrative pronoun meaning "this" or "this one"
- プロジェクト - noun meaning "project"
- を - particle that indicates the direct object of the sentence
- 纏める - verb that means "organize" or "coordinate"
- のは - particle that indicates the subject of the sentence
- あなた - personal pronoun meaning "you"
- の - particle indicating possession
- 責任 - noun meaning "responsibility"
- です - verb that indicates the polite form of the present indicative
Toppu ni tatsu hito wa sekinin ga ookii desu
The person at the top is responsible.
- トップに立つ人 - person at the top
- は - topic particle
- 責任 - responsibility
- が - subject particle
- 大きい - great
- です - verb ser/estar in the present
Hanjoshi wa hōritsu o seikaku ni tekiyō suru sekinin ga aru
The judge is responsible for applying the law accurately.
- 判事 - Judge
- は - Particle indicating the topic of the sentence
- 法律 - You
- を - Particle indicating the direct object of the sentence
- 正確に - Precisely
- 適用する - Apply
- 責任 - Responsibility
- が - Particle that indicates the subject of the sentence
- ある - Exist
Other words of the same type: noun
See other words from our dictionary that are also: noun
