Translation guide
A criminal act motivated by prejudice against a particular group. In Japanese, this concept is often expressed using borrowed terms or descriptive phrases.
Referring to a crime motivated by bias or hatred toward a group.
The most direct and commonly understood term, borrowed from English. Used in news and formal contexts.
Hate crimes are unacceptable.
A literal translation meaning 'hatred crime'. Used in legal or formal writing, but less common in everyday speech.
A law was enacted to prevent hate crimes.
Descriptive phrase meaning 'crime based on discrimination'. Useful when explaining the concept to someone unfamiliar with the term.
This is a crime based on discrimination.
Describing a hate crime targeting a particular group (e.g., race, religion).
Pattern: [target group] + に対する憎悪犯罪. Used to specify the victim group.
Hate crimes against foreigners are increasing.
Pattern: [target group] + を狙ったヘイトクライム. More colloquial, often used in news reports.
Referring to hate speech, which often accompanies or incites hate crimes.
Borrowed term for hate speech. Distinct from hate crime, but often discussed together.
Hate speech has become a social issue.
ヘイトクライム is the most common and widely understood term, especially in media. 憎悪犯罪 is a direct translation used in legal contexts but may sound stiff. In casual conversation, explaining the concept with 差別による犯罪 is often clearer.
They were talking about hate crimes on the news.
While 憎悪犯罪 is a literal translation, it is not as commonly used as ヘイトクライム. Using 憎悪犯罪 in everyday speech might sound overly formal or academic.
A hate crime targeting the LGBTQ community occurred.