慇懃

• 読み: いんぎん
• ローマ字: ingin
• 漢字の分解: 慇 (in) — attentive, careful; 懃 (gin) — diligent, respectful
• 発音: /iŋ.ɡin/

意味

Courteous; polite; civil. Can also describe excessively formal or obsequious politeness that masks contempt.

A na-adjective (and noun) describing great politeness or courtesy, though it frequently carries a secondary meaning of excessive or insincere formality. The compound 慇懃無礼 (ingin burei — 'politely rude') describes someone who is formally polite but actually contemptuous — a very common usage. In purely positive contexts, 慇懃な態度 means genuinely courteous. Context determines whether the politeness is sincere or performative.

例文

1. 彼は慇懃な物腰で客を出迎えたが、内心では見下していた。
2. 上司への報告書は慇懃な文体で書くことが求められる。
3. 慇懃無礼とも取れるその言葉遣いに、相手は戸惑いを感じた。

使い方ガイド

場面: business, manners, social criticism, writing

トーン: formal, sometimes ironic

起源と歴史

From classical Chinese 慇懃 (yīnqín) meaning attentive and courteous. 慇 carries nuances of deep care and 懃 of diligent respect. The word entered Japanese as a complimentary term for formal courtesy.

文化的背景

時代: Classical-Modern

世代: Adult

社会的背景: Formal/Business