Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.
専横 (せんおう) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Report an issue with this page
たい
度ど
に
皆みな
が
反はん
発ぱつ
し
た
。
Everyone rebelled against his high-handed attitude.
Usage patterns 専せん 横おう な 〈 人ひと 〉 a high-handed, dictatorial person
Everyone is troubled by their high-handed boss.
〈 人ひと 〉 の 専せん 横おう を 許ゆる す to allow someone's tyrannical/arbitrary behavior
The employees had long tolerated the president's high-handedness.
専せん 横おう を 極きわ める to reach the height of tyranny/arbitrariness
His power gradually reached the extreme of tyranny.
専せん 横おう な 態たい 度ど a domineering, high-handed attitude
In the meeting, he pushed his opinion with a domineering attitude.
Kanji 専 specialty, exclusive, mainly 横 sideways, side, horizontal Related words 横暴 emphasizes forceful or oppressive behavior, while 専横 focuses on arbitrary, one-sided decision-making that disregards others' opinions.
独裁 refers to dictatorship as a system of rule, while 専横 describes the personal quality of being high-handed or overbearing.
独断 means deciding something alone without consulting others, whereas 専横 adds a stronger sense of ignoring or trampling on others' will.
専横 describes high-handed, arbitrary behavior often at a personal or bureaucratic level, whereas 専制 is a systemic term for a whole political order.
Written forms 専せん 横おう Usage 100%
Standard kanji spelling; the most common written form.
擅せん 横おう
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; learners should recognize but not produce it.
Etymology Compound of 専 (せん, 'solely, arbitrarily') and 横 (おう, 'sideways, unreasonable'). The combination conveys acting solely according to one's own will in an unreasonable manner.
