翻案

• Reading: ほんあん
• Romaji: honan
• Kanji breakdown: 翻 (hon/hira) — flip, transform, translate; 案 (an) — plan, idea, draft, proposal
• Pronunciation: /hon.an/

Meaning

Adaptation; free translation; reworking. The creative transposition of a source work into a new context, medium, or cultural setting.

Distinguished from 翻訳 (hon'yaku, direct translation) in that 翻案 involves significant creative reshaping — changing setting, characters, period, or cultural context while retaining the essential story or themes. Japanese literature has a long tradition of 翻案, from adaptations of Chinese tales in the Heian period to modern stage and screen adaptations of Western classics. Used as both a noun and a suru-verb (翻案する).

Examples

1. シェイクスピアの作品を現代の東京に翻案した舞台が好評を博した。 A stage production adapting Shakespeare's works to contemporary Tokyo met with great acclaim.
2. この小説は古代インドの説話の翻案であり、原典の精神を現代語で蘇らせている。 This novel is an adaptation of an ancient Indian tale, reviving the spirit of the original in modern language.
3. 翻案には原作への深い敬意と、新たな文脈への鋭い感性が同時に求められる。 Adaptation demands both deep reverence for the source work and sharp sensitivity to the new context simultaneously.

Usage Guide

Context: literature, theatre, film, translation studies, comparative literature

Tone: scholarly

Origin & History

Compound of 翻 (hon, to flip/turn over/transform) and 案 (an, plan/draft/idea). Together they convey the idea of 'turning a plan over' — taking the blueprint of an existing work and recasting it in a new form.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical–Modern

Generation: Adults

Social background: Educated