Table of Contents
Meaning of sekuhara
セクハラ (sekuhara) is an abbreviation of “セクシャルハラスメント (sexual harassment)”. Compared to the English term, セクハラ is used more casually to describe unwelcome sexual conducts that are either serious or somewhat trivial. For instance, it may be regarded as sekuhara if you are too friendly to your male/female colleagues at work, e.g. by hugging them; calling them by their first name (as it is more common to call the last name in Japan); or frequently giving them compliments about their appearance.
Meaning of Pawahara/Akahara/Aruhara
After the term セクハラ came into popular use, other “Japlish” (Japanese-made English) words have been coined to indicate different types of harassment. They include “パワハラ” (pawahara), “アカハラ” (akahara), and “アルハラ” (aruhara) — “pawahara” stands for “power harassment” and indicates the general abuse of authority, such as a physical or verbal attack at work or school; “akahara” stands for “academic harassment” and indicates abuse of authority in academia (e.g. harassment to students from their supervisor); and lastly, “aruhara” stands for “alcohol harassment” and indicates the act of forcing someone to drink.
Example Sentences
Ex1
お前、今の発言はセクハラだろ
I guess what you’ve just said is sexual harassment.
Ex2
上司のパワハラのせいで仕事を辞めた
I quit my job due to the パワハラ (abuse of authority) from my boss.
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