Usage patterns 公こう 共きょう 施し 設せつ を 利り 用よう する to use public facilities
Anyone can use this public facility for free.
公こう 共きょう 交こう 通つう 機き 関かん を 利り 用よう する to use public transportation
I use public transportation for my commute.
公こう 共きょう のマナーを 守まも る to observe public manners/etiquette
Let's observe good manners while on the train.
公こう 共きょう の 利り 益えき になる to be of benefit to the public
This policy is thought to benefit the public.
Kanji 公 public, prince, official Related words 公的 stresses official or governmental status, while 公共 emphasizes shared use and accessibility by the community.
公共 is the standard native word for 'public' used with institutions, services, and facilities, while パブリック is a modern katakana term often used in business, media, and internet contexts.
公共 describes concrete shared facilities or services (like 公共施設 ), while 公 is the more abstract idea of what belongs to the public as opposed to the private.
Opposites 民間 refers to private, non-governmental entities or activity, the opposite of the shared, government-provided sense of 公共 .
私的 describes something personal or individual, contrasting with 公共 which describes something belonging to or used by the whole community.
Word family· 25 public utility charges; utility bills
government bond; public bond
public sphere; public domain
public spirit; sense of public duty
public nature; publicness; commonality
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Etymology Compound of 公 (public, official) and 共 (together, shared). The combination has been used since at least the Meiji era to translate Western concepts of 'public' in civic and governmental contexts.
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