表おもて沙ざ汰た

お

も

て

ざ

た

Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

noun

going public; becoming public knowledge

Used when a private matter becomes known to the public or is brought into the open, often with a nuance of scandal or unwanted exposure.

この問もん題だいが表おもて沙ざ汰たになれば、会かい社しゃの信しん用ようは失うしなわれるだろう。
If this matter becomes public, the company's credibility will be lost.
彼かれは

家か

族ぞく

の

内うち

輪わ

もめ

を

表おもて

沙ざ

汰た

に

し

たく

なかっ

た

。

He didn't want to make the family feud public.

2

noun

taking to court; recourse to litigation

Specifically refers to bringing a dispute into the legal system, making it a public court case.

示じ談だんがまとまらず、ついに表おもて沙ざ汰たになった。
The settlement talks broke down, and it finally went to court.

Written forms

表おもて沙ざ汰た
Standard kanji spelling.
表おもてざた
Mixed kana spelling, common in everyday writing.

Kanji

表surface, table, chart
沙sand
汰washing, sieving, filtering

Similar words

公おおやけになる
A more general expression for something becoming public or official, without the strong nuance of scandal or legal action that 表沙汰 carries.
訴そ訟しょう
A formal term for litigation or a lawsuit. 表沙汰 emphasizes the act of bringing a matter into the public legal arena, while 訴訟 refers to the legal process itself.

Etymology

Compound of 表 (おもて, 'front, public') and 沙汰 (さた, 'affair, matter, instruction'). 沙汰 originally referred to official orders or communications, and by extension came to mean a matter or incident. Together, 表沙汰 literally means 'a matter brought to the public surface'.