Translation guide
Money paid to keep someone silent, often about a secret or wrongdoing.
The general concept of paying someone to stay quiet about something, often illegal or embarrassing.
The most direct and common term for hush money. Literally 'mouth-stopping fee'.
Emphasizing the illicit or corrupt nature of the payment.
General term for bribe, often used when the money is meant to buy silence or influence.
Money paid to prevent a scandal or damaging information from becoming public.
Literally 'money for covering up', used when the payment is to suppress a scandal.
会社は不祥事をもみ消すために金を払った。
The company paid money to cover up the scandal.
The literal translation '静か金' (shizukakane) does not exist in Japanese. Always use the terms above.
口止め料 specifically means money paid to keep someone quiet, while 賄賂 is a broader term for bribe. In many contexts, 口止め料 is a type of 賄賂, but 賄賂 can be for any illicit favor.
彼は口止め料として100万円を受け取った。
He received 1 million yen as hush money.
A slightly more casual way to say hush money, using お金 (money) instead of 料 (fee).
口止めのお金を払って秘密を守ってもらった。
I paid hush money to keep the secret.
A formal term used in legal or business contexts, literally 'confidentiality maintenance fee'.
契約書には秘密保持料の支払いが明記されていた。
The contract specified the payment of a confidentiality fee.
政治家が口止めのために賄賂を受け取った。
The politician took a bribe to keep quiet.
Explicitly combines 'hush' and 'bribe', making the purpose clear.
彼は口止めの賄賂を要求した。
He demanded a bribe for his silence.
A formal term for 'cover-up expenses', often used in investigative journalism or legal documents.
その政治家は隠蔽工作費を不正に使用した。
The politician misused cover-up funds.