Japanese word

敬遠

Pronunciation

Romajikeien

Meaning

  • nounavoid

Example

彼は人付き合いを敬遠します。kare wa hito tsu ki a i o kei en shi ma su

He avoids socializing.

Illustration for 敬遠 (avoid)

More examples

高い料金が客の敬遠を招いています。taka i ryō kin ga kyaku no kei en o mane i te i ma su

High prices are causing customers to stay away.

Core concept

It conveys choosing not to approach or deal with someone or something in order to avoid an unwelcome situation.

Common phrases

  • 敬遠を招くkei en o mane ku

    cause avoidance

  • 敬遠の対象kei en no tai shō

    target of avoidance

Similar words

回避kaihi: Avoiding a problem, danger, or difficult situation by taking a different course.
忌避kihi: Deliberately staying away from a person or thing because it is disliked or considered undesirable.

Definition in Japanese

好ましくない相手や事柄を避け、近づいたり関わったりしないこと。kono ma shi ku na i ai te ya koto gara o sa ke chika zu i ta ri kaka wa tta ri shi na i ko to

Word origin

敬遠 (keien) combines 敬 (kei, "respect") and 遠 (en, "far"), expressing the idea of keeping a respectful distance before developing its modern sense of avoidance.

Usage tips

  • The baseball use of 敬遠 (keien) describes giving a batter an intentional walk, which makes the idea of avoiding direct competition easy to remember.

Other meanings

  • keep one's distancenoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 敬遠するkeiensuruavoidverb

Word lists with this word