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告発 (こくはつ) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Common word Freq. Frequency Top 10,000 Conjugation Meanings 1
noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', transitive verb
criminal complaint ; accusation ; prosecution ; indictment
Used as a noun or 告発する for formally accusing someone of wrongdoing, especially by reporting a suspected crime to the authorities. In broader news usage it can also mean exposing or denouncing wrongdoing.
The accounting fraud came to light through an internal whistleblowing complaint.
Kanji 告 revelation, tell, inform 発 departure, discharge, publish Similar words 告こく 訴そ Also a criminal complaint, but 告訴 is typically by the victim or legal complainant, while 告発 can be made by a third party reporting suspected wrongdoing.
起き 訴そ 起訴 is the formal act of prosecution or indictment by prosecutors after investigation; 告発 is the complaint or accusation that may lead to that process.
非ひ 難なん 非難 means criticism or blame in general and does not necessarily involve a legal complaint or formal accusation.
Etymology Sino-Japanese compound: 告 conveys reporting or announcing, and 発 conveys bringing out or making something known. This is a component-based explanation of the spelling, not a claim about the word's full historical development.
