🇯🇵 Japanese · B2 · Society & Global Issues
Democracy
Vocabulary
- 民主主義democracy
- 選挙election
- 投票するto vote
- 国民citizens / the people
- 憲法constitution
- 政党political party
- 政策policy
- 立法legislation
- 基本的人権fundamental human rights
- 言論の自由freedom of speech
- 汚職corruption
- 議論するto debate / discuss
Discussing Democracy in Japanese
Talking about democratic principles and civic duty requires expressions of obligation, necessity, and societal expectations.
Strong Obligation: べきだ
- べきだ — "should / ought to" with moral weight: 国民は投票すべきだ。 (Citizens should vote.)
Necessity: なければならない
- なければならない — "must" (formal obligation): 政府は国民の権利を守らなければならない。 (The government must protect citizens' rights.)
Impersonal Necessity
- ことが必要だ — "it is necessary to": 言論の自由を守ることが必要だ。 (It is necessary to protect freedom of speech.)
- ことが求められる — "it is required/demanded": 透明性が求められる。 (Transparency is demanded.)
These patterns convey civic and moral expectations in formal Japanese, suitable for debates and opinion essays.
Expressions
- べきだTo express moral obligation
- なければならないTo express formal necessity
- ことが必要だTo state what is necessary
- ことが求められるTo express what is demanded
- 言論の自由を守るTo say protect freedom of speech
- 民主主義の根幹To say the foundation of democracy
Common mistakes
権利を守ることなければならない。権利を守らなければならない。なければならない attaches to the negative stem (守ら), not to こと + なければ.
透明性を求められる。透明性が求められる。In passive expressions of demand, the subject takes が, not を.
言論に自由を守る。言論の自由を守る。言論の自由 (freedom of speech) uses の as a possessive, not に.
Quick quiz
Question 1 of 5
How do you say “fundamental human rights” in Japanese?
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