Usage patterns 〈 事こと 〉 が 公こう 然ぜん と 行おこな われる for something to be done openly/publicly
The exchange of bribes was carried out in the open.
公こう 然ぜん と 〈 動どう 詞し 〉 to do something openly/without hiding it
He openly voiced his complaints.
公こう 然ぜん の 〈 事こと 〉 an openly known fact/matter
That is a well-known, openly acknowledged fact.
〈 人ひと 〉 を 公こう 然ぜん と 批ひ 判はん する to openly criticize someone
He openly criticized his boss.
Kanji 公 public, prince, official 然 sort of thing, so, if so Related words 公 is a noun meaning 'public' or 'official' used in compounds, while 公然 is an adjectival/adverbial word describing the manner of doing something openly.
堂々 stresses a bold, dignified manner of acting openly, whereas 公然 simply means done without concealment, sometimes with a defiant nuance.
露骨 describes something blunt or explicit, often with a negative or crude nuance, while 公然 focuses on the fact that it is done in the open.
Opposites· 5 秘密 means 'secret,' the opposite of 公然 , which means done openly without concealment.
公然 means done openly and publicly, the direct opposite of 隠密 's secrecy.
公然 means openly and publicly known, the opposite of 内々 , which means kept within a closed circle.
Show 2 more Show fewer 公然 means open and public, the direct opposite of 密か , which describes something done secretly or hidden from others.
公然 describes something done openly and known to everyone, contrasting with the hidden, restricted nature of 極秘 .
Don't confuse with 明白 means logically or factually 'clear/obvious,' while 公然 describes an action or state being done openly, often with a defiant tone; learners can mix the two because both can translate as 'clear' in English.
Etymology Compound of 公 (public, official) and 然 (like, in the manner of). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the combination yields the meaning 'in a public/open manner'.
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