Translation guide
A cultural, artistic, and intellectual movement emphasizing a break from tradition and the embrace of new forms of expression, roughly from the late 19th to mid-20th century. In Japanese, the term is often used in art, literature, and architecture contexts.
モダニズム
modernism (art/literature)
Referring to the broad cultural movement of modernism in art, literature, or architecture.
The standard loanword for 'modernism' in artistic and literary contexts. Widely understood.
彼はモダニズム文学の研究者です。
He is a scholar of modernist literature.
A more formal, Sino-Japanese term for modernism, often used in academic or historical discussions.
近代主義の建築は機能性を重視する。
Modernist architecture emphasizes functionality.
Describing a style characterized by clean lines, minimalism, and rejection of ornamentation, especially in architecture and design.
Commonly used for modernist design, interior, or product design.
この椅子はモダンデザインの傑作です。
This chair is a masterpiece of modern design.
Specifically refers to modernist architecture.
東京にはモダニズム建築が多く残っている。
Many modernist buildings remain in Tokyo.
Referring to the intellectual underpinnings of modernism, including a belief in progress, rationality, and the rejection of tradition.
Used for the philosophical or ideological aspect of modernism.
モダニズム思想は20世紀初頭に広まった。
Modernist thought spread in the early 20th century.
In everyday conversation, 'modern' (モダン) is more common than 'modernism'. Use モダニズム when specifically referring to the historical movement.