お墨付き

• 読み: おすみつき
• ローマ字: osumitsuki
• 漢字の分解: お (honorific) + 墨 (ink) + 付き (attached) → bearing an ink seal of approval
• 発音: /o.su.mi.tsu.ki/

意味

An official seal of approval or authoritative endorsement, originating from the ink-sealed documents of the samurai era.

In modern usage, お墨付き indicates that someone with authority or expertise has given their approval. It adds weight and credibility to a recommendation. While the original meaning involved literal ink seals on official documents, today it is used casually to mean 'trusted endorsement' from anyone whose opinion carries weight — a boss, an expert, or even popular opinion.

例文

1. 社長のお墨付きをもらったからこのプロジェクト進めていいよ。
2. あの店は地元民のお墨付きだから間違いない。
3. 親のお墨付きがないと結婚の話進まないんだよね。

使い方ガイド

場面: business, everyday conversation, media

トーン: endorsing, authoritative

正しい言い方

• 医者のお墨付きもらったから大丈夫だよ (I got the doctor's stamp of approval so it's fine)
• プロのお墨付きなら安心して買える (If a pro endorses it, I can buy it with confidence)

避ける言い方

• 自分の意見に「お墨付き」を使うのは不自然 (Using お墨付き about your own opinion sounds unnatural — it implies external authority)

よくある間違い

• Using お墨付き for your own opinion rather than someone else's authoritative endorsement
• Not understanding the hierarchical nuance — the approval must come from someone with recognised authority

起源と歴史

From the Edo period practice where the shogunate issued documents sealed with ink (墨) to grant official permission or recognition. The tradition of ink seals carried over as a metaphor for authoritative approval.

文化的背景

時代: Edo period origin, still actively used in modern Japanese

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal

地域メモ: Used across all of Japan. Common in business, media, and daily conversation.