Usage patterns 〈 事こと 〉 が 公こう 害がい を 引ひ き 起お こす for something to cause pollution
The factory's wastewater caused serious pollution.
公こう 害がい が 発はっ 生せい する for pollution to occur/arise
Pollution had been occurring in this area for many years.
公こう 害がい に 苦くる しむ to suffer from pollution
The residents of that town have suffered from pollution for years.
公こう 害がい を 防ふせ ぐ to prevent pollution
New technology can help prevent pollution.
Kanji 公 public, prince, official Related words 汚染 is the general term for contamination of air, water, or soil, while 公害 specifically frames such pollution as a public nuisance with social and legal consequences.
環境破壊 covers broad environmental destruction like deforestation and habitat loss, whereas 公害 focuses narrowly on pollution that harms public health and daily life.
公害 specifically means pollution or environmental damage caused by industry, whereas 環境問題 is the broader umbrella term for any environmental issue.
Word family· 15 pollution-related illness; pollution-caused disease
pollution crime; environmental offense
non-polluting; pollution-free; clean
lead pollution
low-emission vehicle
Show 5 more Show fewer pollution problem; environmental pollution issue
anti-pollution measures; pollution control
pollutant; environmental pollutant
pollution control; pollution prevention
space environmental pollution
See all 15 in Explore →
Etymology Compound of 公 (public) and 害 (harm, damage). The term became widely used in the mid-20th century in Japan in the context of industrial pollution and its legal and social consequences.
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