表沙汰

表沙汰

Japanese

Kanji in this term
表	沙	汰
おもて Grade: 3	さ > ざ Grade: S	た Grade: S

Etymology

Compound of 表 (omote, “front; on the surface, in the open”) +‎ 沙汰 (sata, “an action, an event”). The sata changes to zata due to rendaku (連濁).[1][2][3]

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) おもてざた [òmótézátá] (Heiban – [0])[2]
• IPA^(key): [o̞mo̞te̞za̠ta̠]

Noun

表沙汰 (hiragana おもてざた, rōmaji omotezata)

1. something that has come out into the open: a public incident, something that is public knowledge

   その件 (けん)は表沙汰 (おもてざた)にするな。

   Sono ken wa omotezata ni suru na.

   Don't air your dirty laundry / bring it out into the open. → Keep it private.

2. an issue brought before a court or other public institution

   相続争 (そうぞくあらそ)いを表沙汰 (おもてざた)にする

   sōzoku arasoi o omotezata ni suru

   to take an inheritance dispute public / to court

References

1. 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
2. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
3. 1995, 大辞泉 (Daijisen) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN