功績
Meaning in Englishachievements, merit
Animated kanji stroke order
Related sentences
Related sentences
There are no published items in this section yet.
Word context
What it means
功績 means a notable achievement or merit, the credit earned for a task or contribution. It denotes successful outcomes of one’s efforts and the value those outcomes provide in formal settings such as workplaces, awards, or historical records.
Main meanings
- Primary sense: the credit or distinction earned for a specific act or body of work
- Contextual nuance: commonly used in official reports, biographies, and awards to quantify contributions
- Connotation: formal and objective, focusing on results rather than the process
How to use it
Used in formal contexts to describe someone's accomplishments or the outcomes attributed to their actions, such as awards, résumés, and historical narratives; not common in casual conversation.
Variants and close terms
- 実績 (jisseki) – actual results, track record
- 業績 (gyouseki) – achievements, performance
- 貢献 (kōken) – contribution
Composition
- 功: achievement, merit
- 績: record, result, merit
- combined meaning: a recorded merit from one's actions
Etymology
Origin of form A Sino-Japanese compound formed from 功 and 績, combining to convey earned merit; it is read with on'yomi as kouseki, reflecting Chinese influence adapted to Japanese phonology.
Origin
Early usage appears in medieval to early modern Japanese bureaucratic and military documents, later expanding to biographies, business reports, and public honors.
Word class
Noun (名詞)