Translation guide
The concept of penance in English often carries religious connotations of self-punishment or acts to show regret for wrongdoing. In Japanese, expressing this depends heavily on context: religious, personal atonement, or social apology.
A sacrament or act of self-discipline to repent for sins, especially in a Christian context.
He did penance at church.
Means repentance or penitence, often with a sense of turning away from sin. More Protestant Christian nuance.
They offered a prayer of penance.
Atonement or redemption, often theological. Can be used for penance in the sense of making amends for sin.
Believe in Christ's atonement.
Voluntary suffering or difficult task undertaken to atone for a wrongdoing, not necessarily religious.
Literally 'sin-destroying'. Doing something to make up for a wrong, often through good deeds or suffering. Common in everyday language.
He's doing volunteer work as penance.
Pattern meaning 'do ~ as punishment'. Used when someone imposes a hardship on themselves as penance.
Compensation or atonement. Often used for making amends through actions, not necessarily suffering.
An act or statement showing deep regret, often in a social or public context.
In Japanese culture, penance is often expressed through formal apology and concrete actions rather than a single word. Use phrases like 謝罪の意を表す (express apology) combined with the action.
He shaved his head as an act of penance.
A formal apology. Often used with actions to show sincerity, which can be seen as penance.
There is no single Japanese word that covers all uses of 'penance'. Translating directly as ペナンス is not understood. Choose the expression based on context: religious, personal atonement, or social apology.
罪滅ぼし implies actively doing something to cancel out a sin or wrong, often through suffering or good deeds. 償い is broader, meaning compensation or making amends, and can be used in legal or social contexts.
As penance, I gave up sweets for a week.
彼は自分の過ちの償いとして寄付をした。
He made a donation as penance for his mistake.
お詫びのしるしにこれを差し上げます。
As a token of penance, please accept this.