Translation guide
The English word 'liabilities' can refer to financial debts or obligations, or to people or things that cause problems or disadvantages. This guide covers both meanings and how to express them naturally in Japanese.
The speaker wants to refer to money owed or financial obligations, often in a business or accounting context.
The speaker wants to describe someone or something that is a burden, hindrance, or source of trouble.
Do not directly translate 'liabilities' as 責任 (responsibility) or 不利 (disadvantage) when you mean a burden or hindrance. Use the expressions above instead.
The company's liabilities keep increasing.
負債を返済する計画を立てる。
We will make a plan to repay the liabilities.
Refers specifically to debts or obligations, often legal or contractual. Slightly more formal than 負債.
債務の履行を求める。
We demand the fulfillment of the obligations.
Common word for debt or borrowing, often used in personal finance. Less formal than 負債.
彼は借金で首が回らない。
He is drowning in debt.
Literally 'baggage', used figuratively to mean a burden or liability. Common in casual and spoken Japanese.
彼はチームのお荷物だ。
He is a liability to the team.
Means a hindrance or someone who slows you down. Often used for a person who is a burden in a group activity.
初心者がいると足手まといになる。
Beginners can be a liability.
A troublesome person, a burden. Slightly old-fashioned but still used.
彼は家族の厄介者扱いだ。
He is treated as a liability by his family.
Idiom meaning 'to hold someone back' or 'to be a drag on someone'. Describes the action of being a liability.
彼のミスがチームの足を引っ張った。
His mistakes were a liability for the team.
Means burden or load. Can be used for financial or non-financial liabilities, but is more abstract.
そのプロジェクトは会社の負担になった。
The project became a liability for the company.