Meanings Jump to a sense… 1. secret; confidential; private 2. mystery; secret 3. secret (to success, etc.); key 4. esoteric teachings Usage patterns 〈 事こと 〉 を 秘ひ 密みつ にする to keep something a secret
He kept the result a secret.
秘ひ 密みつ を 守まも る to keep a secret (safe/undisclosed)
I promised to keep the secret between me and my friend.
〈 人ひと 〉 に 秘ひ 密みつ がある someone has a secret
She has a secret she can't tell anyone.
秘ひ 密みつ を 持も つ to have/hold a secret
Everyone has at least one secret they keep.
Expressions· 7 Show 2 more Show fewer Kanji 密 secrecy, density (pop), minuteness Related words· 12 内緒 is a casual, everyday word for keeping something between people, while 秘密 is more formal and can refer to larger or more serious secrets.
秘訣 specifically means the 'knack' or 'key method' for succeeding at something, while 秘密 in this sense is the broader idea of a hidden reason behind a result.
秘密 is a general noun for 'a secret' (the content being hidden), while 隠れ is mostly a prefix describing something that is itself in a hidden or unknown state (e.g. 隠れファン ).
秘密 is a general term for anything kept confidential, while 秘話 specifically refers to a story or episode that is little-known.
Show 8 more Show fewer 秘密 is the everyday word for 'secret', while 秘 is a rare, literary bound form mostly seen in compounds and fixed phrases like 秘中の秘 .
秘密 is the everyday word for a secret or private matter, while 機密 is formal and refers specifically to classified information in government, military, or corporate settings.
秘密 is the everyday word for a secret in general, while 隠密 stresses careful concealment of an action or operation.
秘密 is a general word for 'secret', while 極秘 stresses the highest, official level of confidentiality.
秘密 emphasizes deliberate confidentiality (a secret), whereas 非公開 simply means something is not made available to the public, without implying it must be hidden.
秘密 is the native Japanese word for 'secret' used in everyday speech, while シークレット is a loanword that adds a modern or stylish feel, often in compound nouns.
秘密 is a noun meaning 'a secret' or 'confidential matter', whereas 密か is an adjectival noun describing the manner in which something is done secretly.
秘密 is the general everyday word for 'secret', while 秘匿 is a formal term emphasizing the deliberate act of keeping something hidden.
Opposites 公開 means to make something open or public, the direct opposite of keeping it 秘密 (secret).
秘密 means 'secret,' the opposite of 公然 , which means done openly without concealment.
Don't confuse with 秘密 is a concrete secret someone deliberately hides, whereas 神秘 refers to a hidden wonder or mystery that is not necessarily anyone's secret.
秘密 means a specific secret that is deliberately hidden, whereas プライバシー is the general right to keep personal matters undisclosed even if nothing is being actively hidden.
秘密 is information deliberately hidden from others, while 謎 is something inherently unclear or unexplained, not necessarily hidden on purpose.
Word family· 30 Show 5 more Show fewer trade secret; company secret; industrial secret
trade secret
specially designated secret
secretiveness; cult of secrecy
secret meeting; secret conference
See all 30 in Explore →
Written forms 秘ひ 密みつ Usage 96%
Standard kanji spelling; high-frequency word.
ひみつ Usage 3%
ヒミツ Usage 1%
Etymology From Middle Chinese 祕密 (pˠiɪt̚ mˠiɪt̚), meaning 'secret, confidential'. The kanji 秘 means 'secret' and 密 means 'dense, close, secret'.
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