忖度
Significado: Guessing and proactively catering to a superior's unspoken wishes or intentions without being directly asked.
忖度 became a national buzzword in 2017 due to a political scandal involving the Moritomo Gakuen land deal, where bureaucrats were accused of acting on the prime minister's presumed wishes without explicit orders. While the word existed before, it now carries strong connotations of sycophancy and institutional corruption. In everyday use, it can refer to any situation where someone reads between the lines to please authority figures.
Ejemplos
- 上司の顔色見て忖度するのに疲れた。 看上司脸色揣摩上意，真的累了。Estoy harto de observar la cara de mi jefe e intentar adivinar lo que quiere.상사 눈치 보면서 손타쿠하는 것도 이제 지쳤어.
- あの人事異動、完全に社長への忖度でしょ。 那次人事调动，完全是在向社长献殷勤吧。Ese cambio de personal fue claramente para complacer al presidente, ¿no?그 인사이동, 완전히 사장한테 손타쿠한 거지.
- 忖度しないで自分の意見をはっきり言える人って尊敬する。 能不揣摩上意、直截了当说出自己意见的人，真让人佩服。Admiro a las personas que pueden expresar su opinión con claridad sin intentar adivinar lo que quiere el jefe.손타쿠 안 하고 자기 의견을 똑 부러지게 말할 수 있는 사람은 존경스러워.
Pronunciación
/son.ta.ku/
Guía de uso
Contexto: workplace, politics, news media, casual conversation
Tono: critical, often sarcastic
✓ Correcto
- 日本の組織って忖度文化がすごいよね。 (Japanese organizations have such a strong culture of reading the boss's wishes.)日本的组织真的很有揣摩上意的文化呢。（日本组织中'察言观色迎合上司'的风气很浓。）Las organizaciones japonesas tienen una cultura fortísima de anticiparse a los deseos del jefe, ¿verdad?일본 조직은 손타쿠 문화가 정말 강하지. (일본 조직에는 상사의 의중을 읽는 문화가 정말 깊이 배어 있다.)
- それ忖度じゃない？誰も頼んでないのに。 (Isn't that just sucking up? Nobody asked for that.)那不就是在揣摩上意吗？又没人叫他那么做。（那不就是在拍马屁吗？根本没人要求他这么做。）¿Eso no es puro peloteo? Nadie se lo ha pedido.그거 손타쿠 아냐? 아무도 부탁 안 했는데. (그거 그냥 알아서 기는 거 아냐? 아무도 시킨 적 없잖아.)
✗ Incorrecto
- 上司に直接「忖度してるんですか？」は角が立つ (Asking your boss 'are you expecting us to read your mind?' is confrontational)当面问上司'您是在让我们揣摩上意吗？'会引起冲突（直接问上司'您是要我们猜您心思吗？'太冒犯了）Preguntar directamente a tu jefe «¿espera que le leamos la mente?» es demasiado conflictivo.상사에게 직접 '손타쿠하시는 건가요?'라고 묻는 건 갈등을 일으킬 수 있다 (상사에게 '저희가 알아서 눈치 보길 바라시는 건가요?'라고 물으면 대립적으로 받아들여질 수 있다)
Errores comunes
- Using 忖度 positively — since 2017, it almost always carries a negative or critical connotation
- Confusing it with 気遣い (consideration) — 忖度 implies subordination and power dynamics, 気遣い is genuine kindness
Origen e historia
An old literary Japanese word meaning 'to conjecture others' feelings.' Became the 2017 buzzword of the year (流行語大賞 nominee) after the Moritomo Gakuen political scandal, where officials allegedly acted on Prime Minister Abe's unspoken wishes.
Contexto cultural
Era: 2017 buzzword, though the word is much older
Generation: All ages (became universally known through media coverage)
Social background: Used across social classes, especially in political and workplace discussions
Regional notes: Used across all of Japan. Strongly associated with the 2017 Moritomo Gakuen scandal and Japanese hierarchical culture.
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