Translation guide
The act of secretly entering or becoming part of a group, organization, or place, often for espionage, subversion, or gradual permeation.
To describe the act of secretly entering an enemy base, territory, or organization for intelligence or sabotage.
The most common and direct translation for covert infiltration, used in espionage, military, and police contexts.
スパイが敵国に潜入した。
The spy infiltrated the enemy country.
警察官が犯罪組織に潜入捜査を行った。
The police officer conducted an undercover infiltration of the criminal organization.
Literally 'permeation', used for gradual infiltration of ideas, influence, or agents into a group or society. Often implies a slower, more subtle process.
敵のスパイが政府内部に浸透している。
Enemy spies have infiltrated the government.
To sneak into a place, emphasizing stealthy physical entry. More casual than 潜入.
泥棒が夜中に家に忍び込んだ。
The burglar infiltrated the house at night.
To describe something spreading or seeping into a substance, group, or culture over time.
Used for liquids permeating a material, or for ideas, culture, or influence gradually spreading.
水が土壌に浸透する。
Water infiltrates the soil.
新しい思想が社会に浸透した。
New ideas infiltrated society.
To soak into, often used for liquids or abstract things like habits or feelings. More everyday than 浸透.
A variant kanji for 浸透, sometimes used in scientific contexts for osmosis or diffusion. Rare in everyday use.
To describe unauthorized access or hacking into a digital system.
General term for intrusion, commonly used for hacking or unauthorized network access.
ハッカーがサーバーに侵入した。
The hacker infiltrated the server.
To describe the medical procedure of injecting a substance into tissue.
Medical term for infiltration, such as local anesthetic infiltration or cancer cell infiltration.
局所麻酔薬を浸潤させた。
The local anesthetic was infiltrated.
Infiltration anesthesia, a specific technique.
歯科で浸潤麻酔がよく使われる。
Infiltration anesthesia is often used in dentistry.
潜入 (sennyū) emphasizes the act of secretly entering a place, often for espionage. 浸透 (shintō) emphasizes gradual permeation or spreading, whether physical or abstract. Use 潜入 for spy infiltration, 浸透 for influence or liquid seepage.
潜入 implies a person or agent secretly entering. For water soaking into the ground, use 浸透 or 染み込む.
The rain infiltrated the ground.
滲透圧の実験を行った。
We conducted an experiment on osmotic pressure.
Literally 'unauthorized access', the legal/technical term for hacking into a system.
彼は不正アクセスで逮捕された。
He was arrested for unauthorized infiltration of the system.