冒涜

• Reading: ぼうとく
• Romaji: bōtoku
• Kanji breakdown: 冒 (bō/okasu) — affront, risk, encroach; 涜 (toku) — defile, profane
• Pronunciation: /bo.ː.to.kɯ/

Meaning

Blasphemy; profanity; sacrilege; desecration. Describes the act of treating something sacred, revered, or highly valued with contempt or irreverence.

Used as a verbal noun with する (冒涜する). While originally a religious term referring to the desecration of the sacred, 冒涜 is now broadly used for any act of profound disrespect toward something held in high esteem — art, nature, human dignity, or cherished values. Common collocations include 神を冒涜する (to blaspheme against a deity) and 芸術への冒涜 (a desecration of art).

Examples

1. 宗教的象徴を侮辱することは、多くの国で冒涜罪として罰せられる。 Insulting religious symbols is punishable as blasphemy in many countries.
2. その発言は先人たちの努力に対する冒涜だと、多くの人が批判した。 Many people criticised the statement as a desecration of the efforts of those who came before.
3. 自然破壊を冒涜と見なす文化では、環境倫理が根強く保たれている。 In cultures that regard the destruction of nature as sacrilege, environmental ethics remain deeply rooted.

Usage Guide

Context: religion, social criticism, law, ethics

Tone: negative

Origin & History

Compound of 冒 (bō, affront, risk, brave) and 涜 (toku, defile, profane). 冒 carries the sense of brazenly encroaching upon something forbidden; 涜 means to pollute or defile. Together they describe the act of audaciously defiling the sacred.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: Adults

Social background: Universal