Translation guide
The English word "bait" can refer to something used to lure fish or animals, a temptation or enticement, or something used to provoke a reaction. This guide covers natural Japanese expressions for each meaning.
Physical bait used to catch fish, animals, or insects.
General word for animal feed or bait. Used for fishing, trapping, and pet food.
Something used to lure a person into a trap or to persuade them to do something.
Metaphorically used for bait in scams, traps, or lures. Often appears in compounds.
Something said or done to deliberately provoke a reaction, especially online.
Internet slang for trolling or baiting someone into a response. Derived from fishing.
餌 (えさ) is the general word for bait, including food for animals and metaphorical lures. おとり specifically means a decoy used to trap someone, often in police or military contexts.
The English idiom 'take the bait' is not directly translated. Use 引っかかる (to be caught/tricked) or 乗る (to go along with) depending on context.
彼はミミズを餌に使った。
He used a worm as bait.
そのオファーは個人情報を盗むための餌だった。
The offer was just bait to get my personal information.
釣り餌を買ってきた。
I bought some fishing bait.
ネズミ捕りに餌を仕掛ける。
Set bait in a mousetrap.
Groundbait or chum; bait scattered in water to attract fish.
撒き餌を撒いて魚を集める。
Scatter groundbait to attract fish.
Artificial bait or lure, such as a fishing fly or plastic worm.
疑似餌を使った釣りが好きだ。
I like fishing with artificial lures.
詐欺師は甘い言葉を餌に金をだまし取る。
Scammers use sweet talk as bait to cheat people out of money.
Decoy or lure; often used for police sting operations or hunting decoys.
警察がおとり捜査で犯人を捕まえた。
The police caught the criminal in a sting operation.
Temptation or allurement; often used for moral or emotional enticement.
彼は金の誘惑に負けた。
He gave in to the temptation of money.
Figuratively, to scatter bait (e.g., free samples) to attract customers.
新規顧客を集めるために撒き餌を撒くようなキャンペーンをやっている。
They're running a campaign like scattering bait to attract new customers.
あの書き込みは完全に釣りだ。
That post is totally bait.
釣りに引っかかって怒ってしまった。
I took the bait and got angry.
Clickbait; sensationalized headlines designed to attract clicks.
そのサイトはクリックベイトばかりだ。
That site is full of clickbait.
Provocation; can be used for baiting someone into a fight or argument.
彼の挑発に乗ってはいけない。
Don't take his bait.