誹謗

• Reading: ひぼう
• Romaji: hibou
• Kanji breakdown: 誹 (hi) — slander, criticise; 謗 (bou) — defame, revile, vilify
• Pronunciation: /çi.boː/

Meaning

Slander; defamation; libel; vilification. The act of making false or malicious statements to damage someone's reputation.

Often appears in the compound 誹謗中傷 (defamation and slander), which is a standard legal and journalistic term in Japan for targeted online abuse. 誹謗 stresses the act of reviling or slandering; 中傷 adds the element of baseless accusation. Both together describe the full spectrum of reputation-damaging speech. The compound is especially prevalent in discussions of social-media harassment.

Examples

1. インターネット上の誹謗中傷に対し、法的措置を取ることを決めた。 They decided to take legal action against the slander and defamation online.
2. 根拠のない誹謗を繰り返す投稿者の特定に、プロバイダが協力した。 The internet provider cooperated in identifying the person who had been repeatedly posting baseless slander.
3. 誹謗発言を放置すれば、名誉毀損として訴えられる恐れがある。 If defamatory remarks are left unchecked, there is a risk of being sued for libel.

Usage Guide

Context: law, social media, journalism, online harassment

Tone: negative

Origin & History

Sino-Japanese compound. 誹 means to slander or criticise harshly, 謗 means to revile or defame — together forming a formal legal and literary term for damaging speech.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: Adults

Social background: Universal