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生命保険 (seimeihoken) Japanese meaning: life insurance | Kotomora

生せい命めい保ほ険けん

せ

い

め

い

ほ

け

ん

Common word›JLPTN3›

Meanings

1

Standard term for life insurance policies and the life insurance industry.

生せい命めい保ほ険けんに加か入にゅうするかどうか迷まよっています。

I'm unsure whether to take out life insurance.

彼かれは生せい命めい保ほ険けん会がい社しゃに勤つとめている。

He works for a life insurance company.

Usage patterns

生せい命めい保ほ険けんに入はいるto take out (enroll in) life insurance
結けっ婚こんを機きに生せい命めい保ほ険けんに入はいった。
I took out life insurance when I got married.
〈人ひと〉に生せい命めい保ほ険けんをかけるto take out a life insurance policy on someone
夫おっとは自じ分ぶんに生せい命めい保ほ険けんをかけている。
My husband has a life insurance policy on himself.
生せい命めい保ほ険けんを解かい約やくするto cancel a life insurance policy
お金かねに困こまって生せい命めい保ほ険けんを解かい約やくした。
I cancelled my life insurance because I was short of money.
生せい命めい保ほ険けんの保ほ険けん金きんを受うけ取とるto receive a life insurance payout
父ちちの死し後ご、母ははは生せい命めい保ほ険けんの保ほ険けん金きんを受うけ取とった。

Kanji

生life, genuine, birth
命fate, command, decree
保protect, guarantee, keep
険precipitous, inaccessible place, impregnable position

Related words

生せい保ほ
生保 is a common spoken/business abbreviation of 生命保険, used the same way but sounding more casual or industry-specific.
死し亡ぼう保ほ険けん
死亡保険 refers narrowly to insurance that pays out on death, while 生命保険 is the broader category that also includes survival and illness benefits.
簡かん易い保ほ険けん
生命保険 is the general term for life insurance, while 簡易保険 refers specifically to the simplified, lower-coverage policies once sold through Japanese post offices.

Opposites

損そん害がい保ほ険けん
生命保険 covers death, survival, or illness risks, whereas 損害保険 covers property and casualty losses—the two main branches of Japanese insurance.

Don't confuse with

医い療りょう保ほ険けん
生命保険 pays a lump sum tied to death or survival, while 医療保険 reimburses medical treatment costs; people often lump the two together.
健けん康こう保ほ険けんN1
健康保険 covers medical treatment costs, whereas 生命保険 pays out on death or serious injury, so the two serve very different purposes despite both being 保険.

Word family

生せい命めい保ほ険けん会がい社しゃ
life insurance company
簡かん易い生せい命めい保ほ険けん
postal life insurance; post-office life insurance
団だん体たい信しん用よう生せい命めい保ほ険けん
group credit life insurance; creditor's group life insurance

Built from

生せい命めい+保ほ険けん

Etymology

Compound of 生命 (life) and 保険 (insurance). The term is a direct calque from English 'life insurance', widely used since the Meiji period.

After my father's death, my mother received the life insurance payout.

海かい外がい旅りょ行こう生せい命めい保ほ険けん

overseas travel life insurance