事件
Meaning in Englishincident, case, event
Animated kanji stroke order
Related sentences
Related sentences
There are no published items in this section yet.
Word context
What it means
What does 事件 mean? It denotes a notable happening or occurrence, typically one that is newsworthy or under consideration, such as an incident, event, or case. In Japanese, 事件 is used in journalism, legal, and public discourse to refer to matters that require attention, investigation, or discussion, including crimes, accidents, or significant disruptions.
Main meanings
- An incident or occurrence reported or discussed as an event in journalism or conversation.
- A specific case or matter under investigation or review in legal, police, or formal contexts.
- A notable happening; used in headlines or formal writing to reference crimes, accidents, or significant disruptions.
How to use it
Used across formal registers, including news, law, and bureaucratic language, to denote a concrete incident, case, or event that warrants attention; in casual speech it is less common than 出来事 or 事故 but still appears in discussions of noteworthy happenings or criminal cases.
Variants and close terms
- 出来事 (dekigoto) – event, occurrence
- 事故 (jiko) – accident, incident
- 騒動 (soudou) – disturbance, uproar
Composition
- 事: thing, matter, affair
- 件: item, matter, case
- Combined meaning: a matter or event treated as a unit that is under discussion or investigation
Etymology
kanji-based etymology A Sino-Japanese compound formed from the kanji 事 and 件; the reading じけん uses on'yomi for both characters, yielding the modern pronunciation and sense of a 'matter' or 'event' under consideration.
Word class
Noun (名詞)