性せい

せ

い

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 200

Meanings

noun

nature; character; disposition

Refers to a person's innate character or temperament. Often used in fixed expressions like 性に合う (suits one's nature).

彼かれは性

Related words· 8

性せい格かくN3sense 1

性格 refers to a person's overall personality, while 性 (in its 'nature' sense) points more narrowly to an innate disposition or trait.

性せい別べつN3sense 2

性別 specifically means the distinction between sexes/genders, while 性 (in its 'sex/gender' sense) can also cover sexuality and attraction more broadly.

気き質しつN1sense 1

気質 describes an inborn temperament or disposition, similar to 性 in its 'nature' sense but slightly more literary and used for groups as well as individuals.

ジェンダー sense 2

ジェンダー emphasizes the social or cultural construction of gender, whereas 性 is a broader, more traditional term covering biological sex as well.

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おかげで
せい blames a cause for a bad outcome, while お陰で attributes a result—often good—to someone or something, sometimes with gratitude.
ネス
性 is a Sino-Japanese suffix denoting a quality or nature (安全性), whereas ネス specifically transliterates the English -ness ending in loanwords.
ために
せい blames a negative outcome on something (usually with で), while ために is neutral and can express either positive or negative causes.
ためN4
せい blames a cause for a bad outcome, while ため is more neutral and sounds more formal in causal use.

Don't confuse with

姓せいN2

姓 (せい) means 'surname/family name' and is pronounced identically to 性 (せい, 'nature/sex'), so the two are easily confused in speech.

生せいN1

生 (life/student) and 性 (nature, sex, gender) share the same reading せい but have completely different meanings and are easy to mix up when heard.

性せい

Meanings

Usage patterns

Expressions· 10