Translation guide
The English word 'mission' covers several related ideas: an important task or assignment, a strong sense of purpose, a diplomatic/religious posting, and a military operation. Japanese uses different words depending on the nuance. This guide helps you choose the right one.
A specific job or duty someone is sent to do, often with a sense of importance or purpose.
The most direct equivalent for a serious, often formal, duty or calling. Implies a sense of being entrusted with something important.
彼の使命は世界平和を実現することだ。
His mission is to achieve world peace.
私はこのプロジェクトを成功させる使命がある。
I have a mission to make this project succeed.
Often used for assigned duties in professional, military, or organizational contexts. More task-oriented than 使命.
彼は極秘の任務を帯びている。
He is on a top-secret mission.
チームの任務はデータを分析することです。
The team's mission is to analyze the data.
Loanword from English, common in business, tech, and casual contexts. Often used for company missions or game objectives.
我が社のミッションは顧客満足度の向上です。
Our company's mission is to improve customer satisfaction.
このゲームのミッションをクリアするのは難しい。
It's hard to clear this game's mission.
A strong feeling that one has a particular duty or goal in life.
Again the best fit, emphasizing a personal or spiritual calling.
彼女は医者になることに使命を感じている。
She feels a mission to become a doctor.
Refers to one's reason for being or purpose in life. Less about a specific task, more about fulfillment.
A group of people sent to a foreign country for diplomatic or religious work, or the building where they work.
A diplomatic mission or delegation.
日本の使節団が国連に派遣された。
A Japanese mission was dispatched to the UN.
Specifically a religious mission group, often Christian.
宣教師たちは伝道団を組織した。
The missionaries organized a mission.
Embassy; the building or office of a diplomatic mission.
A specific military task or operation.
Military operation or campaign. Often used in compounds like 救出作戦 (rescue mission).
特殊部隊が救出作戦を実行した。
The special forces carried out a rescue mission.
Also used for military assignments, similar to 'duty' or 'mission'.
使命 (shimei) implies a higher calling or entrusted duty, often with moral weight. 任務 (ninmu) is a concrete assigned task, common in professional or military settings. ミッション (misshon) is a casual loanword used in business, games, and everyday speech.
医者としての使命を果たす。
Fulfill one's mission as a doctor.
与えられた任務を遂行する。
Carry out the assigned mission.
会社のミッションに共感する。
Sympathize with the company's mission.
While ミッション is widely understood, it can sound overly casual or business-jargon-like in formal contexts. For serious or traditional topics, prefer 使命 or 任務.
ボランティア活動が彼の生きがいだ。
Volunteering is his mission in life.
彼はアメリカ大使館で働いている。
He works at the American mission.
The soldiers went on a dangerous mission.