ボランティア

• Reading: ボランティア
• Romaji: borantia
• Pronunciation: /bo.ɾaɴ.ti.a/

Meaning

Volunteer; volunteering. Performing unpaid work to help others or the community.

A loanword from English used as both a noun (a volunteer) and part of a suru-verb expression (ボランティアをする — to volunteer). Volunteering is encouraged in Japanese schools and communities, especially for disaster relief. Common collocations include ボランティア活動 (volunteer activities) and ボランティア団体 (volunteer organization).

Examples

1. 週末にボランティア活動をしている。 I do volunteer work on weekends.
2. 被災地でボランティアをしてきた。 I went and volunteered in the disaster-affected area.
3. ボランティアに参加する学生が多い。 Many students participate in volunteer activities.

Usage Guide

Context: community, school, disaster relief

Tone: positive

Origin & History

Borrowed from English 'volunteer.' The katakana form has been used in Japanese since the 1990s, gaining prominence after the 1995 Kobe earthquake.

Cultural Context

Era: Contemporary

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal