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不公平 (fukouhei) Japanese meaning: unfairness | Kotomora

不ふ公こう平へい

ふ

こ

う

へ

い

Common word›JLPTN1›Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

noun, na-adjective

unfairness; injustice; partiality

Describes a situation, treatment, or rule that lacks fairness or impartiality. Commonly used as both a noun and a na-adjective.

そのルールは不

ふ

公こう

平へい

だ

と

思おも

う

。

I think that rule is unfair.

不ふ公こう平へいな扱あつかいを受うけたと感かんじた。

I felt I received unfair treatment.

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉を不ふ公こう平へいに扱あつかうto treat someone unfairly
上じょう司しは一いち部ぶの社しゃ員いんを不ふ公こう平へいに扱あつかった。
The boss treated some of the employees unfairly.
不ふ公こう平へいを感かんじるto feel that something is unfair
評ひょう価かの結けっ果かに不ふ公こう平へいを感かんじた。
I felt that the evaluation results were unfair.
不ふ公こう平へいをなくすto eliminate unfairness
制せい度どの不ふ公こう平へいをなくすための改かい革かくが進すすめられている。
Reforms are underway to eliminate unfairness in the system.
〈事こと〉に不ふ公こう平へいがあるthere is unfairness in something
給きゅう与よ制せい度どに不ふ公こう平へいがある。
There is unfairness in the pay system.

Kanji

不negative, non-, bad
公public, prince, official
平even, flat, peace

Related words· 7

平びょう等どうN3
平等 means equality or equal treatment, often as a positive ideal, while 不公平 focuses on the lack of fairness in a specific case.
公こう正せいN2
公正 means fairness or justice, often in a formal or legal sense, and is more about impartiality than the emotional weight of 不公平.
不ふ公こう正せい
不公正 is a more formal, often legal or systemic term for unfairness, while 不公平 is the everyday word for feeling treated unfairly.
不ふ当とうN1
不当 stresses that something is unjustified or improper (e.g. an unjust decision), while 不公平 stresses unequal or biased treatment between people.

Show 3 more

不ふ平びょう等どうN1
不公平 stresses a lack of impartiality or fairness in a specific decision or situation, whereas 不平等 more often points to broader structural or systemic disparity.
アンフェア
不公平 is a native Japanese compound meaning the same as アンフェア but is more formal and common in written or official contexts, while アンフェア is casual, colloquial speech.
偏かたより
不公平 carries a moral judgment of unfairness, while 偏り simply describes unevenness without necessarily implying injustice.

Opposites

公こう平へいN3
公平 means fair or impartial, while 不公平 is its direct negation, describing a lack of fairness.

Don't confuse with

不ふ平びょう等どうN1
不平等 refers to structural inequality in status, rights, or opportunity, while 不公平 refers to a lack of fairness in how a specific matter is handled.

Word family

不ふ公こう平へい競きょう争そう
unfair competition

Built from

不ふ+公こう平へい

Etymology

Compound of 不 (fu, 'not') + 公平 (kōhei, 'fairness, impartiality'). The word 公平 itself is a Sino-Japanese term combining 公 (kō, 'public') and 平 (hei, 'flat, even').