Usage patterns 〈 事こと 〉 が 世せ 間けん を 騒さわ がせる for something to cause a stir/scandal in society
The incident caused a stir throughout society.
世せ 間けん の 目め が 気き になる to worry about what people/society think
He always worries about what other people think of him.
世せ 間けん に 知し れ 渡わた る to become widely known to the public
Her name became known throughout society.
世せ 間けん から 非ひ 難なん される to be criticized by society/the public
The company was criticized by the public.
Kanji 世 generation, world, society Related words· 9 社会 is the formal, structural term for 'society' as a system, while 世間 is the everyday social world of people's opinions and gossip.
世の中 refers more broadly to 'the times' or 'the world we live in', while 世間 focuses specifically on people around you and their judgments.
世間 refers broadly to society or the public in general, while 市中 in this sense narrows the focus to the general public as opposed to a specific institution (e.g. banks).
世間 refers broadly to society and public opinion, while 巷 gives the same idea a more image-based, street-level feel.
Show 5 more Show fewer 外界 refers to the physical/external world in a broad, often scientific or philosophical sense, while 世間 refers specifically to society and other people.
世間 specifically means society or people in general, often with a nuance of public opinion, whereas 世 is broader and can also mean an age, reign, or life.
世間 means society or the people around you, emphasizing social norms and gossip, whereas 公衆 is a formal, impersonal term for the public as a collective body.
世間 refers to society or the people around one in daily life, whereas 天下 evokes the whole realm or public at large in a broader, grander sense.
世間 refers to society or the public at large as a social sphere, while 万人 simply means 'everybody' as a count of individual people.
Word family· 12 appearances; what others think; public decency
ignorant of the ways of the world; naive; unworldly
the world; society; people; the public
public; social; worldly
worldly wisdom; knowledge of the ways of the world
Show 6 more Show fewer small talk; chat; gossip
this world; earthly world; secular society · ordinary world; everyday life; workaday world
monastic life; transcending the secular world
ordinary; typical; conventional; average
common knowledge; widely known
worldly wise; sophisticated; street smart
See all 12 in Explore →
Etymology Compound of 世 (yo, 'world, generation') and 間 (ken, 'space, interval'). The reading せけん is a regular on'yomi combination.
Report an issue with this page
Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.
