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左遷 (させん) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Common word JLPT N1 Freq. Frequency Top 50,000 Conjugation Meanings 1
noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', transitive verb
demotion ; relegation ; downward transfer
Typically used in organizational contexts for a transfer to a less desirable post, often as a form of punishment or sidelining. Carries a negative connotation.
左さ
遷せん
人じん
事じ
に
不ふ
満まん
を
感かん
じ
て
いる
社しゃ
員いん
も
いる
。
Some employees are dissatisfied with the demotion-related personnel changes.
Kanji 遷 transition, move, change Similar words 降こう 格かく 降格 is a straightforward reduction in rank or status, while 左遷 emphasizes a transfer to an undesirable position, often with a punitive nuance.
栄えい 転てん 栄転 is an honorable transfer or promotion, the opposite of 左遷.
Etymology From Chinese, where 左 (left) historically implied a lower or inferior position, and 遷 means to move or transfer. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term has been used in Japanese to mean a demotion or transfer to a less important post.