Translation guide
The practice of gaining sexual pleasure from watching others when they are naked or engaged in sexual activity. This guide covers how to express the concept, describe a person who does it, and use related terms in Japanese.
Referring to the practice itself, often in psychological, legal, or descriptive contexts.
General term for peeping or voyeurism. Can be used for the act itself, though it also covers non-sexual peeping. Often combined with other words.
He was caught for voyeurism.
Clinical/psychological term for voyeuristic disorder. Used in medical or formal contexts.
Voyeurism is a type of mental disorder.
Specifically refers to secret photographing or filming, often upskirt or hidden camera voyeurism. Very common in legal/news contexts.
Secret filming is a crime.
Archaic slang for a peeping tom, derived from a notorious early 20th-century criminal. Now dated and rarely used except in historical or humorous contexts.
Don't act like a peeping tom.
Describing someone who peeps or secretly watches others for sexual gratification.
Common term for a peeping tom or voyeur. The suffix 魔 (ま) implies a sort of 'demon' or obsessive person.
Apparently there's a peeping tom in the neighborhood.
Refers to a criminal who commits secret filming/upskirt photography. Used in news and legal contexts.
A voyeurism offender was arrested.
Clinical term for a person with voyeuristic disorder. Very technical.
Describing the simple action of looking secretly, which can be used in non-sexual contexts but often implies voyeurism when context is clear.
Verb meaning 'to peep' or 'to look in'. Can be used for innocent peeking or voyeurism depending on context.
He peeped into the room through the window.
Means 'to watch secretly'. A more descriptive phrase that can imply voyeurism without using the specific word 覗き.
He was secretly watching the women.
The English word 'voyeurism' is not commonly used in everyday Japanese. Instead, use 覗き (のぞき) for the act, or 盗撮 (とうさつ) for secret filming. The clinical term 窃視症 (せっししょう) is rarely understood outside medical contexts.
覗き (のぞき) is a broader term for peeping, which can include direct visual peeping. 盗撮 (とうさつ) specifically involves using a camera or recording device to capture images or video secretly, often in public places like trains. In legal contexts, 盗撮 is the more precise term for upskirt or hidden camera crimes.
He is receiving treatment as a voyeur.