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抱懐 (ほうかい) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', transitive verb
harboring ; cherishing ; entertaining
Literary or formal term for holding a feeling, thought, or intention in one's heart or mind. Often used with abstract nouns like 希望 (hope), 不満 (discontent), or 疑念 (doubt). Rare in everyday speech; 抱く (いだく) or 持つ (もつ) are more common.
The politician is said to be harboring discontent toward the people.
Kanji 抱 embrace, hug, hold in arms Similar words 抱いだ く Common verb for 'to harbor' or 'to hold' feelings; used in everyday language. 抱懐 is a more formal, literary noun/verb.
持も つ General verb for 'to have' or 'to hold'; much broader and more common than 抱懐, which is limited to abstract, often emotional, contexts.
Etymology Compound of 抱 (ほう, 'to embrace, to hold') and 懐 (かい, 'bosom, heart'). The combination suggests holding something close to one's heart, i.e., harboring feelings or thoughts. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the meaning is transparent from the kanji components.
