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世相 (せそう) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

世せ相そう

せ

そ

う

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

noun

social conditions; state of society; sign of the times

Refers to the overall mood, trends, or conditions of society at a given time, often used in news or analytical contexts.

最さい近きんの世せ相そうを反はん映えいした記き事じが多おおい。
There are many articles reflecting recent social conditions.

世せ

相そう

が

不ふ

安あん

定てい

だ

と

消しょう

費ひ

も

冷ひ

え

込こ

む

。

When the state of society is unstable, consumption also cools down.

Kanji

世generation, world, society
相inter-, mutual, together

Similar words

社しゃ会かい情じょう勢せい
社会情勢 is more concrete and often refers to political or economic situations, while 世相 is broader and includes cultural moods and trends.
時じ勢せい
時勢 emphasizes the trends or spirit of the times, often with a historical or forward-looking nuance, whereas 世相 focuses on the current state of society.

Etymology

Compound of 世 (world, society) and 相 (aspect, phase). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the combination naturally yields the meaning 'aspect of society'.