Translation guide
The desire to promote the welfare of others, expressed especially by generous donations to good causes. In Japanese, this concept is often expressed through specific terms for charitable activities, the spirit of benevolence, or the act of donating, rather than a single all-encompassing word.
Referring to the act of donating money, goods, or time to help others, often in an organized way.
Charitable activities; the most direct and common term for philanthropy as organized efforts to help those in need.
He makes large donations to charitable activities.
Donation; the concrete act of giving money or goods. Often used when talking about specific contributions.
Loanword from English; used in business or academic contexts, often referring to corporate philanthropy or strategic giving.
Emphasizing the altruistic mindset or ethical principle behind helping others.
Referring to philanthropy in a business or organizational context, often as part of CSR.
Focusing on giving time and effort rather than money.
慈善 (じぜん) focuses on charity and relief for the less fortunate. 博愛 (はくあい) is a broader, more philosophical love for humanity. 社会貢献 (しゃかいこうけん) is the modern, practical term for contributing to society, often used in corporate contexts.
The English word 'philanthropy' is not commonly used in everyday Japanese. Depending on context, use 慈善活動, 寄付, ボランティア, or 社会貢献 instead of trying to force フィランソロピー, which sounds technical or foreign.
The donations will be used to support the disaster-stricken area.
Corporate philanthropy activities are attracting attention.
Philanthropy in the sense of universal brotherhood and love for all people; often used in names of organizations or historical contexts.
To act with a spirit of philanthropy.
Charity; benevolence. Often used in compounds like 慈善事業 (charitable enterprise) or 慈善家 (philanthropist).
He is known as a philanthropist.
Benevolence, humanity; a Confucian virtue, rarely used in modern everyday speech but appears in literary or philosophical contexts.
To cultivate a heart of benevolence.
Social contribution; the most common term for corporate or individual efforts to give back to society. Broader than just monetary donations.
Our company focuses on philanthropic activities.
CSR activities; a direct loanword acronym commonly used in business settings.
As part of our CSR activities, we conducted a community cleanup.
Volunteer; volunteering. Extremely common and covers a wide range of unpaid helpful activities.
I volunteer at a nursing home on weekends.
Service activities; often used in school or community contexts, implying a sense of duty or contribution.
The students cleaned the park as a service activity.