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内約 (ないやく) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', transitive verb
private agreement ; secret treaty ; tacit understanding
Refers to a private, often unwritten, agreement or understanding between parties. Can be used for marriage engagements, secret treaties, or tacit understandings. The marriage engagement sense is somewhat dated; modern Japanese more commonly uses 婚約.
は
内ない
約やく
を
結むす
ん
で
秘ひ
密みつ
を
守まも
る
こと
に
し
た
。
They made a tacit understanding to keep the secret.
Kanji 約 promise, approximately, shrink Similar words 婚こん 約やく 婚約 is the standard modern word for a formal marriage engagement, while 内約 can imply a more private or informal understanding, sometimes used historically for engagements.
密みつ 約やく 密約 specifically means a secret agreement or conspiracy, often with a negative connotation. 内約 is broader and can refer to any private understanding, not necessarily secretive or conspiratorial.
Etymology Compound of 内 (inside, private) and 約 (agreement, promise). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word has been used since at least the early modern period to refer to private or informal agreements.
