Translation guide
The act of using ambiguous language to deceive or avoid commitment. In Japanese, this concept is expressed through specific words for verbal evasion, vague statements, and logical fallacies.
To avoid giving a direct answer or to speak ambiguously in order to mislead or dodge a question.
A common phrase meaning to speak ambiguously or evasively, literally 'to muddy one's words'. Used when someone avoids a clear answer.
彼は質問に答えず、言葉を濁した。
He didn't answer the question and equivocated.
Literally 'to make the tea cloudy', this idiom means to evade the issue or give a vague, non-committal response, often to smooth over an awkward situation.
彼女は都合が悪くなると、いつもお茶を濁す。
Whenever she's in a tight spot, she always equivocates.
A verb meaning to dodge a question or evade the point, often by changing the subject or giving an irrelevant answer.
彼は核心を突かれて、話をはぐらかした。
When pressed on the key point, he equivocated and changed the subject.
Literally 'to use vague phrasing'. A more direct description of equivocation, but less idiomatic than the above phrases.
彼はいつもあいまいな言い方をするので、本当の意図がわからない。
He always uses vague language, so I never know his true intentions.
In logic or rhetoric, the fallacy of using a word in multiple senses within an argument to mislead.
The formal term for the fallacy of equivocation in logic. Used in academic or philosophical contexts.
この議論には多義の虚偽が含まれている。
This argument contains the fallacy of equivocation.
A less common term for equivocation as a rhetorical device, literally 'ambiguous phrasing'.
政治家はしばしば曖昧語法を用いる。
Politicians often use equivocation.
Using words with double meanings or unclear references to mislead someone, often with malicious intent.
Literally 'to use a double tongue', meaning to speak duplicitously or say different things to different people. Implies intentional deception.
彼は二枚舌を使って、双方に都合のいいことだけを言った。
He equivocated, telling each side only what they wanted to hear.
To deceive with clever or smooth talk; to equivocate skillfully. Emphasizes the manipulative aspect.
セールスマンは言葉巧みにごまかして、欠陥品を売りつけた。
The salesman equivocated cleverly and sold them a defective product.
Both mean to be evasive, but 言葉を濁す focuses on the act of muddying one's words, while お茶を濁す implies a more social, face-saving evasion. お茶を濁す is often used when someone gives a non-answer to avoid conflict or embarrassment.
There is no single Japanese word that covers all senses of 'equivocation'. Using a literal translation like 同義異義語使用 (using a word with different meanings) would be unnatural. Choose the phrase that matches the specific nuance: evasion, logical fallacy, or duplicity.