JLPT N2

公民権

Civil rights; rights of citizenship.

Readings

Noun

Civil Rights

This term specifically denotes the political rights of a citizen, such as suffrage and eligibility for public office, or the civil rights associated with historical social movements.

Good to know

While it translates to “civil rights,” this term is most frequently encountered in historical contexts like 公民権運動 (こうみんけんうんどう), referring to the American Civil Rights Movement. In modern legal Japanese, it strictly pertains to political participation, such as the right to vote or run for office. If a politician commits election fraud, they may face 公民権停止 (こうみんけんていし), the legal suspension of these political privileges.

Do not confuse this with 市民権 (しみんけん), which refers to “citizenship” or “civic rights” in a broader sense. 市民権 (しみんけん) is also used idiomatically to mean a concept or product has gained widespread social acceptance, whereas 公民権 (こうみんけん) is never used in that metaphorical way.

Example

公民権運動は歴史の重要な一部です。

The civil rights movement is an important part of history.

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VOCAB 2 / 30

公民権

こうみんけん

Civil rights; rights of citizenship.

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