諫かん言げん

か

ん

げ

ん

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', transitive verb

admonition; remonstrance; expostulation

Formal term for respectfully pointing out a superior's fault or giving corrective advice. Often used in historical, political, or workplace contexts.

家か臣しんが主しゅ君くんに諫かん言げんするのは命いのちがけだった。
For a retainer to remonstrate with his lord was a life-risking act.

上じょう司しに諫かん言げんしたが、聞きき入いれられなかった。

I offered my boss a word of advice, but it wasn't heeded.

Written forms

諫かん言げんUsage94%
Standard kanji spelling. 諫 carries the meaning of remonstrating or admonishing.
諌かん言げんUsage6%
Variant form using 諌, a simplified or alternative character for 諫. Less common.

Kanji

諫admonish, dissuade
言say, word
諌admonish, dissuade

Similar words

忠ちゅう告こく
忠告 is a general, neutral term for advice or warning, while 諫言 specifically implies remonstrating with a superior, often at personal risk.
進しん言げん
進言 is a formal suggestion or proposal to a superior, whereas 諫言 carries a stronger nuance of pointing out a mistake or wrongdoing.

Etymology

Compound of 諫 (kan, 'remonstrate') and 言 (gen, 'words'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the spelling is conventionally associated with the meaning of admonishing speech.