忠告

• Reading: ちゅうこく
• Romaji: chuukoku
• Kanji breakdown: 忠 (chuu) — loyalty, faithfulness; 告 (koku) — tell, inform, announce
• Pronunciation: /t͡ɕɯː.ko.kɯ/

Meaning

Advice; warning. Earnest counsel given to someone, often about something they should stop doing or be cautious about.

A noun and suru-verb for giving advice with a tone of warning or admonition. Stronger and more serious than 助言 (jogen, advice) — 忠告 implies the advisor is concerned about negative consequences and feels a duty to speak up. Common patterns include 忠告する (to warn/advise), 忠告を聞く (to heed a warning), 忠告を無視する (to ignore a warning), and 忠告に従う (to follow advice/warning). Often implies the listener may not want to hear it.

Examples

1. 医者の忠告を聞いて、酒をやめることにした。 Heeding my doctor's advice, I decided to stop drinking.
2. 友人の忠告を無視した結果、大きな失敗をした。 As a result of ignoring my friend's warning, I made a major mistake.
3. 先輩として後輩に厳しい忠告をした。 As a senior, I gave my junior some stern advice.

Usage Guide

Context: interpersonal, health, mentoring

Tone: serious

Origin & History

From Sino-Japanese: 忠 (chuu, loyalty/faithfulness/devotion) + 告 (koku, tell/inform/announce). Literally 'a loyal telling' — advice given out of sincere concern and faithfulness to the other person.

Cultural Context

Era: Pre-modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal