告白する · noun or participle which takes 'suru'
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | 告白する | 告白しない |
| Polite | 告白します | 告白しません |
| Past polite | 告白しました | 告白しませんでした |
| Past | 告白した | 告白しなかった |
| Te-form | 告白して | 告白しないで |
| Desire | 告白したい | 告白したくない |
| Potential | 告白できる | 告白できない |
| Passive | 告白される | 告白されない |
| Causative | 告白させる | 告白させない |
| Causative passive | 告白させられる | 告白させられない |
| Volitional | 告白しよう | |
| Polite volitional | 告白しましょう | |
| Imperative | 告白しろ | 告白するな |
| Conditional | 告白すれば | 告白しなければ |
| Tara conditional | 告白したら | 告白しなかったら |
noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', transitive verb
Admitting a crime, wrongdoing, or a secret truth. Often used in legal, personal, or dramatic contexts.
He confessed his crime to the police.
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.
He mustered the courage and confessed his feelings to her.
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
Christian term: declaring one's faith or admitting sins. Used in religious contexts.
I made a profession of faith at church.
He made a confession of his sins to the priest.
I'm planning to confess my feelings to her.
He finally confessed his crime.
I was surprised to receive a confession of love from a friend.
She professed her faith at church.
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.
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.
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.