Secret in Japanese: himitsu or naisho, explained based on kanji

How to say “secret” in Japanese

Japanese native speakers would say “himitsu” or “naisho”. Both words can be used to mean ‘secret’ in Japanese, but are not the same. In this blog post, I will explain them in detail based on their kanji expressions. And also, I will explain their difference. Let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “himitsu”
• Kanji characters used in “himitsu”
• Example #1: how to say “it’s a secret” in Japanese
• Example #2: how to say “secret” in Japanese
• Definition and meanings of “naisho”
• Naishou in Buddhism
• Example #3: how to use “naisho”
• Example #4: “naisho” cannot take over “himitsu”
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “himitsu”

First of all, let me start with “himitsu”. Below are its definition and meaning.

• himitsu – 秘密 (ひみつ) : a noun meaning ‘secret’ in Japanese. Depending on the situation and context, it can also mean ‘mystery’ or ‘secrecy’. It can also be used as a plural noun. Learn more about Japanese plural.

Its definition and meaning(s) are relatively simple and clear, I think. To understand this word a bit more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail.

Kanji characters used in “himitsu”

Below are the kanji characters used in “himitsu”.

• 秘 – a kanji character widely used to express a secret, mystery, or something kept hidden.
• 密 – a kanji character often used to express a secret, something private, or something tightly sealed.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “himitsu” literally means ‘secret’. This concept formed by its kanji characters seems to be completely in line with its meanings.

Japanese native speakers usually use “himitsu” to mean a secret or a state in which something is kept secret. Let me explain how to use it through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to say “it’s a secret” in Japanese

Below are new words used in the example sentence.

• sore – それ : a demonstrative pronoun meaning ‘that’ in Japanese. Depending on the situation and context, it can also be translated into English as ‘it’. Actually, in this example, it has been translated as ‘it’.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case maker or topic maker. In the example, it is put after the pronoun, “sore”, to make the subject word in the sentence.
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb put after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, it is well known for a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, it is put after the noun, “himitsu”, to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of “himitsu”. In this example, it is used to mean a secret itself. “Sore wa himitsu desu” used in this example is a widely-used expression for ‘it’s a secret’ in Japanese. It’s worth knowing, I think.

Then, let me explain another example as follows.

Example #2: how to say “secret” in Japanese

Below are new words used in the example sentence.

• oishisa – 美味しさ (おいしさ) : a noun meaning ‘good taste’ or ‘deliciousness’ in Japanese. It can be considered as a noun form of the i-adjective, “oishii”, which means ‘delicious’ in Japanese. In the Japanese language, many i-adjectives can be changed to their noun forms by replacing their last vowel, “i”, with “sa”. “Oishisa” is one typical example. Learn about its related expression, “oishii desu”.
• no – の : a case particle used to limit a meaning of its following word with a meaning of its preceding word based on relations like possessing or belonging. In this example, it is used to limit the meaning of its following word, “himitsu”, with the meaning of its preceding word, “oishisa”. The formed phrase, “oishisa no himitsu”, can be literally translated into English as ‘a secret of deliciousness’. Although word orders in Japanese and English are different, the role of “no” is quite similar to that of the English preposition, “of”. Both can be used to limit a meaning of word. In reality, the phrase, “oishisa no himitsu”, has been translated as ‘a secret ingredient’, though.
• wa – は : the same as explained in the last example. In this example, it is put after the noun phrase, “oishisa no himitsu”, to make the subject word in the sentence.
• chokoreto – チョコレート (ちょこれーと) : a noun meaning ‘chocolate’ in Japanese. It is a Japanese English word which originally came from the pronunciation of “chocolate”. Japanese native speakers also often use its shortened version, “choko”.
• desu – です : the same as explained in the last example. In this example, it is put after the noun, “chokoreto”, to make it sound polite.

This is another typical usage of “himitsu”. In this example, it is used as a part of the noun phrase, “oishisa no himitsu”. Like in this case, we can connect “himitsu” with another noun or a noun phrase via the case particle, “no”, to add some information.

“Oishisa no himitsu” is an idiomatic expression for ‘a secret ingredient’ or ‘secret ingredients’ in Japanese. Japanese native speakers sometimes use it.

So far, I’ve explained “himitsu” and how to use it through the example sentences. Next, then, let me explain the other one: “naisho”.

Definition and meanings of “naisho”

Below are the definition and meanings of “naisho”.

• naisho – 内緒 (ないしょ) : a noun meaning ‘secrecy’ in Japanese. Depending on the situation and context, it can also mean ‘secret’, ‘privacy’, or perhaps ‘confidentiality’.

This word originally came from the Buddhism word, “naishou”. Its kanji expression is “内証”. The first kanji character, “内”, is common in both. It is widely used to mean ‘inside’. The second kanji character, “証”, is normally used to mean ‘proof’ or ‘evidence’. So, “naishou” literally means ‘proof inside’. This concept seems to be a bit different from what “naisho” actually means today. To understand “naisho” a bit more clearly, let me explain some background of “naishou” in Buddhism. Sometimes, checking word origins is more helpful than checking kanji characters in detail.

Naishou in Buddhism

The Buddhism word, “naishou – 内証 (ないしょう)”, is used to express a state in which someone gets a complete understanding of Buddhism in his/her mind. It is very religious, so hard to understand, to be honest. Yet, we can at least understand that that state is a religious secret kept hidden from others. This is the origin of “naisho – 内緒 (ないしょ)” and the reason it can mean ‘secrecy’ even though its kanji expression has been changed. And also, this is the reason the word, “naisho”, focuses more on a state in which something is kept secret rather than a secret itself.

Then, let me explain how to use “naisho” through the example sentence below.

Example #3: how to use “naisho”

Below are new words used in the example sentence.

• ni – に : a case particle put after a noun to indicate a particular place to which someone or something goes. Based on this concept, it can also be used to indicate a particular state which someone or something is in after a change or action. In the example, it is put after the noun, “naisho”, to indicate the particular state which ‘a secret ingredient’ is in.
• shi – し : one conjugation of the verb, “suru”, which means ‘to do’, ‘to perform’, or some such in Japanese. Its meaning can vary depending on the context. In the example, it is used to mean ‘to keep’ or ‘to put’. It has been conjugated for a better connection with its following word.
• masu – ます : an auxiliary verb put after a verb to make it polite. Probably, it is well known for a part of Japanese masu form. In the example, it is put after the conjugated verb, “shi”, to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of “naisho”. It focuses more on a state in which something is kept hidden from someone. As long as it is used to express that state, it can be used together with “himitsu” meaning a secret itself. In other words, they cannot be used together if both of them mean the same thing, a secret itself.

As the example shows, the Japanese phrase, “naisho ni shi masu”, corresponds very well to the English one, “to keep something a secret”. This relation would also help us to understand that “naisho” is suitable to express a state in which something is kept secret rather than a secret itself.

Let me explain this point a bit more through the example sentence below.

Example #4: “naisho” cannot take over “himitsu”

The second example above can be paraphrased like this. “Naisho” is used instead of “himitsu” to mean a secret itself. Honestly, this sentence sounds very weird. Or perhaps I should say, this sentence does not make sense. In many cases, “naisho” cannot take over the role of “himitsu” meaning a secret itself. Of course, it highly depends on the context, but “naisho” basically focuses more on a state in which something is kept secret.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained “himitsu” and “naisho” in detail. And also, I’ve explained how they work through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• himitsu – 秘密 (ひみつ) : a noun meaning ‘secret’ in Japanese. Depending on the situation and context, it can also mean ‘mystery’ or ‘secrecy’. It can also be used as a plural noun. It focuses more on a secret itself.
• naisho – 内緒 (ないしょ) : a noun meaning ‘secrecy’ in Japanese. Depending on the situation and context, it can also mean ‘secret’, ‘privacy’, or perhaps ‘confidentiality’. It focuses more on a state in which something is kept secret. In many cases, it cannot take over the role of “himitsu” meaning a secret itself.
• sore wa himitsu desu – それは秘密です (それはひみつです) : a widely-used expression for ‘it’s a secret’ in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.