告こく白はく

こ

く

は

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Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 5,000

告白する · noun or participle which takes 'suru'

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	告こく白はくする	告こく白はくしない
Polite	告こく白はくします	告こく白はくしません
Past polite	告こく白はくしました	告こく白はくしませんでした
Past	告こく白はくした	告こく白はくしなかった
Te-form	告こく白はくして	告こく白はくしないで
Desire	告こく白はくしたい	告こく白はくしたくない
Potential	告こく白はくできる	告こく白はくできない
Passive	告こく白はくされる	告こく白はくされない
Causative	告こく白はくさせる	告こく白はくさせない
Causative passive	告こく白はくさせられる	告こく白はくさせられない
Volitional	告こく白はくしよう
Polite volitional	告こく白はくしましょう
Imperative	告こく白はくしろ	告こく白はくするな
Conditional	告こく白はくすれば	告こく白はくしなければ
Tara conditional	告こく白はくしたら	告こく白はくしなかったら

Meanings

noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', transitive verb

confession; admission

Admitting a crime, wrongdoing, or a secret truth. Often used in legal, personal, or dramatic contexts.

彼かれは警けい察さつに罪つみを告こく白はくした。
He confessed his crime to the police.
彼かの女じょは自じ分ぶんの過あやまちを告こく白はくする勇ゆう気きがなかった。
She didn't have the courage to admit her mistake.

noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', intransitive verb

confession of love; declaration of feelings

Specifically telling someone you have romantic feelings for them. Very common in youth culture and romance contexts.

彼かれは勇ゆう気きを出だして彼かの女じょに告こく白はくした。
He mustered the courage and confessed his feelings to her.
卒そつ業ぎょう式しきの日ひに好すきな人ひとに告こく白はくするつもりだ。
I plan to confess to the person I like on graduation day.

noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', transitive verb

profession of faith; confession of sins

Christianity

Christian term: declaring one's faith or admitting sins. Used in religious contexts.

教きょう会かいで信しん仰こうの告こく白はくをした。
I made a profession of faith at church.
彼かれは神しん父ぷに罪つみの告こく白はくをした。
He made a confession of his sins to the priest.

See all 123 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉に告こく白はくするto confess one's feelings to someone
彼かの女じょに告こく白はくするつもりだ。
I'm planning to confess my feelings to her.
罪つみを告こく白はくするto confess a crime or wrongdoing
彼かれはついに罪つみを告こく白はくした。
He finally confessed his crime.
告こく白はくを受うけるto receive a confession of love
友とも達だちから告こく白はくを受うけて驚おどろいた。
I was surprised to receive a confession of love from a friend.
信しん仰こうを告こく白はくするto profess one's faith
彼かの女じょは教きょう会かいで信しん仰こうを告こく白はくした。
She professed her faith at church.

Kanji

告revelation, tell, inform
白white

Related words· 9

自じ白はくN1sense 1
自白 is the formal, legal term for confessing a crime or wrongdoing, while 告白 is broader and can also cover personal secrets or romantic feelings.
告こっ解かい sense 3
告解 refers specifically to the Catholic sacrament of confession, whereas 告白 is the general word for confessing sins or faith in any religious context.
白はく状じょうN1sense 1
白状 is a casual, everyday word for admitting a fault or secret, while 告白 sounds more formal or dramatic in the same sense.
吐と露ろ
告白 usually means confessing something specific like love or a secret, while 吐露 is broader, referring to openly expressing one's inner thoughts or feelings.

Show 5 more

懺ざん悔げ
告白 is a neutral confession of facts or feelings, while 懺悔 specifically implies admitting wrongdoing and feeling remorse.
言いい表あらわすN1
告白する is the normal modern verb for confessing a secret, fault, or romantic feelings, while the 'confess' sense of 言い表す is rare and old-fashioned.
打うち明あけるN2
告白する is more formal and often used for confessing love, crimes, or official statements, while 打ち明ける is more personal and emotional, implying a private, heartfelt disclosure.
カミングアウト
告白 is a general confession of feelings or facts (e.g. a love confession), while カミングアウト specifically means revealing a hidden personal identity or secret, often with social stakes.
自じ供きょう
告白 covers confessions of personal feelings or secrets in general, while 自供 is limited to admitting guilt in a legal or investigative setting.

Don't confuse with

告こく知ちN1sense 1
告知 means to announce or notify (e.g. a diagnosis or event), unlike 告白 which means to confess something personal or secret.
告つげるN2
告白する means to confess one's feelings or a secret, whereas 告げる is a neutral verb for informing or announcing something to someone.
披ひ瀝れき
告白 is used for confessing secrets, feelings, or sins with emotional weight, while 披瀝 is for frankly stating opinions or intentions without that confessional nuance.
告こく別べつ
告白 (confession, declaration of feelings) shares the kanji 告 with 告別 but means something completely different—admitting or revealing something, not saying farewell.

Word family

信しん仰こう告こく白はく
profession of faith; confession of faith

Written forms

告こく白はくUsage100%
Standard kanji form; used across all senses.
コクハクUsage<1%

Etymology

From 告 (tell, announce) + 白 (white, clear). The combination suggests making something clear by telling it. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the kanji compound is conventionally associated with confessing or professing.