Let’s learn some Japanese words that describe different kinds of harassment, such as sekuhara, pawahara, and kasuhara.
In Japanese, people often make abbreviations by taking the first part of two words and combining them.
For example, sekuhara comes from sexual harassment. The word sexual becomes 「seku」, and harassment becomes 「hara」. Put together, they make 「sekuhara」.
In this article, you will discover many Japanese harassment-related words. Some of them, like sekuhara (sexual harassment) and pawahara (power harassment), have been used for many years and are well known. Others, like kasuhara (customer harassment) and sumehara (smell harassment), are newer and have become popular topics in recent years.
Let’s get started!
セクハラ (sekuhara)
Sexual harassment / 性的な言動による嫌がらせ
Sekuhara Example
Example 1
「その服、なんか色っぽいね。誰かとデートでもあるの？」
「Sono fuku, nanka iroppoi ne. Dare ka to dētode mo aru no?」
EN: “That outfit looks kind of sexy today. Are you going on a date or something?”
▶ Commenting on someone’s appearance in a suggestive way and implying romantic plans can make others uncomfortable and is considered harassment.
Example 2
「彼氏いるの？いないなら、俺が相手してあげようか？」
「Kareshiiru no? Inainara, ore ga aite shite ageyou ka?」
EN: “Do you have a boyfriend? If not, maybe I can be your guy.”
▶ A personal question combined with a suggestive offer—this kind of statement is inappropriate, especially in professional or public contexts.
パワハラ (pawahara)
Power harassment / 職場での立場や権限を利用した暴言や精神的圧力
Pawahara Example
Example 1
「こんな簡単なこともできないの？新人以下だな。」
「Konna kantan na koto mo dekinai no? Shinjin ika da na。」
EN: “You can’t even do something this simple? You’re worse than a rookie.”
▶ Putting someone down by comparing them to new employees in a degrading way is a typical example of verbal abuse and power harassment.
Example 2
「文句があるなら辞めれば？代わりなんていくらでもいるんだから。」
「Monku ga aru nara yamereba? Kawari nante ikura demo iru n da kara。」
EN: “If you have a problem, just quit. You’re easily replaceable.”
▶ Threatening someone’s job security and denying their value within the organization is a serious form of psychological pressure and power harassment.
モラハラ (morahara)
Moral harassment / 言葉や態度で相手を精神的に支配・否定する嫌がらせ
Morahara Example
Example 1
「お前は本当にダメなやつだな。いちいち教えないと何もできないのか？」
「Omae wa hontō ni dame na yatsu da na. Ichiichi oshienai to nani mo dekinai no ka?」
EN: “You’re seriously useless. Do I have to explain everything to you?”
▶ Repeatedly demeaning someone’s abilities and implying they are incompetent is a common form of psychological abuse.
Example 2
「どうせ誰もお前のことなんて必要としてないよ。」
「Douse dare mo omae no koto nante hitsuyō to shitenai yo. 」
EN: “No one really needs you, you know.
▶ Attacking a person’s sense of belonging or self-worth is a deeply damaging tactic often seen in moral harassment.
カスハラ (kasuhara)
Customer harassment / 客の立場を利用した過剰なクレームや暴言、理不尽な要求
Kasuhara Example
Example 1
「は？これひとつ間違えただけでお金取るつもり？ふざけてんの？責任者呼べよ、今すぐ！」
「Ha? Kore hitotsu machigaeta dake de okane toru tsumori? Fuzaketen no? Sekininsha yobe yo, ima sugu!」
EN: “What? You’re charging me for this tiny mistake? Are you kidding me? Get your manager, right now!”
▶ Yelling at staff and demanding a manager in an aggressive tone over a minor issue is a typical example of customer harassment.
Example 2
「俺は客なんだぞ？その態度はなんなんだよ。土下座くらいして謝るのが常識だろ？」
「Ore wa kyaku nan da zo? Sono taido wa nan nan da yo. Dogeza kurai shite ayamaru no ga jōshiki daro?」
EN: “I’m the customer! What kind of attitude is that? You should at least get on your knees and apologize—that’s common sense!”
▶ Using one’s status as a customer to make unreasonable demands or humiliate staff is a severe form of harassment, especially in service industries.
マタハラ (matahara)
Maternity harassment / 妊娠や出産を理由とする職場での不当な扱いや差別
Matahara Example
Example 1
「また病院？最近、よく休むよね。みんなに迷惑かかってるよ。」
「Mata byōin? Saikin, yoku yasumu yo ne. Minna ni meiwaku kakatte ru yo.」
EN: “Another hospital visit? You’ve been taking a lot of time off. It’s affecting everyone else.”
▶ Although it may seem like a casual comment, criticizing a pregnant woman for attending necessary medical checkups is a clear example of maternity harassment.
Example 2
「妊娠はいいけど、もう仕事はあまりできないよね。」
「Ninshin wa ii kedo, mō shigoto wa amari dekinai yo ne.」
EN: “Pregnancy is fine, but you probably can’t do much work anymore.”
▶ Denying a woman’s work ability simply because she is pregnant is a clear act of discrimination.
パタハラ (patahara)
Paternity harassment / 男性が育児参加・育休取得することへの嫌がらせや批判
Patahara Example
Example 1
「育休って…本気で取るつもり？男がそんなことで仕事休むの？」
「Ikukyū tte… honki de toru tsumori? Otoko ga sonna koto de shigoto yasumu no?」
EN: “Paternity leave? Are you seriously taking it? A man taking time off for something like that?”
▶ Suggesting that taking paternity leave is unmanly or irresponsible pressures male employees to forgo legally guaranteed rights, and is a common form of paternity harassment.
Example 2
「育休って言いながらどうせ家でのんびりするんでしょ？こっちは人手不足なんだけど」
「Ikukyū tte iinagara douse ie de nonbiri surun desho? Kocchi wa hitodebusoku nan da kedo」
EN: “You say it’s paternity leave, but you’re just going to relax at home, right? Meanwhile, we’re short-staffed here.”
▶ Dismissing childcare responsibilities as laziness and expressing resentment toward the absent worker reinforces stigma and discourages men from participating in parenting.
スメハラ (sumehara)
Smell harassment / 不快なにおい（香水・体臭など）によって周囲に迷惑をかける行為
Sumehara Example
The following is a conversation between two people, A and B, who are troubled by smell harassment C.
A-san:
「ねえ、Cさんの香水、最近ちょっと強すぎない？」
「Nee, C-san no kōsui, saikin chotto tsuyosuginai?」
“Hey, don’t you think C’s perfume has been way too strong lately?”
B-san:
「会議室、ドア開けてても残ってるよね…正直きつい。」
「Kaigishitsu, doa aketetemo nokotteru yo ne… shōjiki kitsui.」
“Even with the meeting room door open, the smell just stays… it’s honestly kind of tough.”
A-san:
「言いたいけど、デリケートな話だからなかなか言えないよね。」
「Iitai kedo, derikēto na hanashi dakara nakanaka ienai yo ne.」
“I want to say something, but it’s such a sensitive topic—it’s hard to bring up.”
Did you find this lesson helpful?
Today, we learned about various types of harassment-related words in Japanese.
Compared to the U.S. and Europe, Japan may still be behind in some ways, but awareness of harassment is growing.
Let’s be careful not to engage in harassment—whether in Japanese or in your native language!
