Translation guide
The act of secretly working together for a dishonest or illegal purpose. In Japanese, this is expressed through specific nouns and verbs that emphasize conspiracy, secret agreements, or behind-the-scenes dealings.
To express a secret, often illegal, agreement between parties to deceive or defraud others.
The most direct and common translation for 'collusion', referring to a conspiracy or secret agreement, especially in legal or criminal contexts.
They colluded on price-fixing.
He was arrested on suspicion of collusion.
Implies banding together for a selfish or dishonest purpose, often used in political or business contexts. Slightly more formal than 共謀.
Politicians and corporations colluded to commit fraud.
Specifically refers to bid-rigging or collusion in tenders, a common term in business and legal contexts.
Construction companies colluded to set bid prices.
A colloquial phrase meaning 'to join hands behind the scenes', implying secret cooperation, often for a shady purpose.
Those two must be colluding behind the scenes.
Refers to collusion or cozy relationships between entities that should be independent, like government and industry. Often implies corruption.
Collusion between the government and private sector is becoming a problem.
To describe people working together secretly, not always for a crime, but often with a negative nuance of deceit.
A neutral way to say 'cooperate secretly', which can imply collusion depending on context.
They secretly cooperated to advance the plan.
Refers to secret communication or collusion with an enemy or outsider, often implying betrayal.
共謀 is the broadest term for conspiracy or collusion, often used in legal contexts. 結託 emphasizes banding together for selfish ends, common in politics. 談合 is specifically bid-rigging or collusion in auctions/tenders.
There is no single verb 'to collude' in Japanese. Use noun+する (e.g., 共謀する) or descriptive phrases like 裏で手を組む. Direct translations like 'collusionする' do not exist.
Means to arrange or conspire beforehand, often used when people coordinate their stories or actions secretly.
They told the same lie as if they had colluded.
スパイが敵と内通していた。
The spy was colluding with the enemy.