Word
発言
Meaning in Englishutterance, speech, proposal
Animated kanji stroke order
Related sentences
Word context
What it means
発言 means a spoken utterance or statement by someone; a remark expressed aloud in conversation, debate, or official contexts, focusing on what was said rather than how it was said.
Main meanings
- the content of a spoken remark, often quoted or cited in discussion
- an act of speaking in formal or public settings, such as meetings or press events
- in political or media discourse, 発言 is used to reference a person’s words or stance, or to discuss retracting a remark
How to use it
Used as a neutral or formal noun in journalism, politics, business, and academic writing to refer to what someone has said; common with phrases like 発言をする, 発言内容, 発言を撤回する; casual conversation may prefer more informal terms.
Variants and close terms
- 言明 (genmei) — formal statement
- 発語 (hatsugo) — the act of uttering words
- 沈黙 (chinmoku) — silence, the opposite concept
Composition
- 発: to emit, to start, to release; a trigger of action
- 言: word, speech; the thing spoken
Etymology
発 (hatsu) + 言 (gen) form the compound; this noun uses on'yomi readings for both kanji and conveys the idea of emitting words as speech.
Word class
noun (名詞)
Related words by kanji and components
N1
言論
genron
discussion, speech
N1
言付け
kotozuke
to leave a message
N1
再発
saihatsu
return, relapse, reoccurrence
N1
開発
kaihatsu
development, exploitation
N1
片言
katakoto
broken (in reference to speaking style, e.g., Japanese)
N1
活発
kappatsu
vigor, active
N1
言い訳
iiwake
excuse, explanation
N1
証言
shougen
evidence, testimony
N1
助言
jogen
advice, suggestion