Translation guide
The English phrase "heavy responsibility" refers to a serious duty or burden that carries significant weight or pressure. In Japanese, this concept is expressed through various nouns and phrases that emphasize the gravity, importance, or weight of a responsibility.
Expressing that a duty or role is serious, weighty, and carries significant pressure or obligation.
A common and direct noun meaning 'heavy responsibility' or 'grave duty'. Suitable for both spoken and written contexts.
彼は重責を担っている。
He bears a heavy responsibility.
その役職は重責を伴う。
That position comes with heavy responsibility.
Literally 'serious/grave responsibility'. A straightforward and common way to express the concept, often used in formal or serious contexts.
これは重大な責任だ。
This is a heavy responsibility.
彼女は重大な責任を感じている。
She feels a heavy responsibility.
Literally 'heavy responsibility'. A natural and common phrase, slightly less formal than 重大な責任.
彼は重い責任を背負っている。
He is carrying a heavy responsibility.
A somewhat formal or literary term for 'great responsibility' or 'important duty'. Often used in speeches or writing.
大任を果たす。
To fulfill a heavy responsibility.
Describing the emotional or psychological burden of a heavy responsibility, such as pressure, stress, or a sense of duty.
Literally 'to feel the weight of responsibility'. A natural way to express the emotional burden.
彼は責任の重さを感じている。
He feels the weight of responsibility.
An idiomatic expression meaning 'responsibility weighs heavily on one's shoulders'. Conveys a sense of pressure.
責任が重くのしかかって、眠れない。
The heavy responsibility weighs on me and I can't sleep.
Literally 'the heavy pressure of responsibility'. A more intense expression, often used in formal or psychological contexts.
責任の重圧に押しつぶされそうだ。
I feel crushed by the heavy pressure of responsibility.
Expressing the action of accepting, shouldering, or being entrusted with a heavy responsibility.
A common collocation meaning 'to shoulder a heavy responsibility'. Suitable for formal and informal contexts.
彼は会社の将来を左右する重責を担っている。
He bears the heavy responsibility of determining the company's future.
A general phrase meaning 'to bear responsibility'. Can be used for heavy responsibility by adding modifiers like 重大な or 重い.
彼はその事故の責任を負っている。
He bears the heavy responsibility for the accident.
Means 'to take on responsibility' or 'to accept responsibility'. Often used when voluntarily assuming a duty.
彼はそのプロジェクトの責任を引き受けた。
He took on the heavy responsibility for the project.
重責 (じゅうせき) is a concise noun often used in formal or written contexts. 重大な責任 (じゅうだいなせきにん) is a more explicit phrase suitable for serious situations. 重い責任 (おもいせきにん) is slightly more casual and commonly used in everyday speech. All three convey the idea of a heavy responsibility, but the choice depends on formality and nuance.
The verb 背負う (to carry on one's back) is often used metaphorically with 責任 to emphasize the burden. For example, 責任を背負う (せきにんをせおう) means 'to bear a heavy responsibility' with a strong sense of personal burden.