矛盾（むじゅん、mujun）
- contradiction

The Japanese word 矛盾 (むじゅん), means "contradiction," "inconsistency," or "paradox." It refers to a situation where two or more things, ideas, or statements are opposed to each other and cannot both be true. It signifies a lack of agreement or harmony between elements. The core concept is that of logical incompatibility. This word is often used to describe situations, arguments, or statements that contain opposing elements or ideas.

⚫︎彼の言っていることには矛盾がある。 Translation: There is a contradiction in what he is saying. ⚫︎その計画は、実現可能性について重大な矛盾を抱えている。 Translation: That plan has significant contradictions regarding its feasibility. ⚫︎彼女の態度は、言動に大きな矛盾を含んでいる。 Translation: Her attitude contains significant contradictions in her words and actions.

You can use 矛盾 in various contexts: ⚫︎To describe a situation where actions contradict words. ⚫︎To point out logical inconsistencies in an argument. ⚫︎To highlight a paradox. ⚫︎When discussing conflicts between ideas, beliefs, or policies. Use it when you want to express that something doesn't make logical sense or that something conflicts with something else. It is a more formal term than "inconsistency" in English.

矛盾 is written with the kanji 矛盾. The reading is むじゅん in hiragana. It is not typically written in katakana. There are no variations in the okurigana. The kanji are always used together, with no changes to the order or the characters.

⚫︎対立（たいりつ） - Opposition, conflict ⚫︎不整合（ふせいごう） - Inconsistency ⚫︎食い違い（くいちがい） - Discrepancy, mismatch ⚫︎二律背反（にりつはいはん） - Antinomy (a contradiction between two apparently equally valid principles)

⚫︎一致（いっち） - Agreement, consistency ⚫︎調和（ちょうわ） - Harmony, balance ⚫︎整合性（せいごうせい） - Consistency

彼の説明にはいくつかの矛盾が見られるため、信頼しがたい。 ・Translation: Because there are several contradictions in his explanation, it's hard to trust. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 矛盾 to indicate that the person's explanation has internal inconsistencies, making it difficult to believe.

この法律は、国民の権利を守るという目的と、一部の行動を制限するという点で矛盾している。 ・Translation: This law contradicts itself in its goal to protect citizens' rights and, at the same time, restrict some actions. ・Explanation: The sentence highlights a contradiction within the law itself, where two stated purposes clash.

The word 矛盾 originates from a classical Chinese story. The story tells of a merchant selling spears and shields. The merchant claimed his spears could pierce any shield and his shields could withstand any spear. A bystander then asked what would happen if the merchant used his spear to attack his shield. The story illustrates a logical 矛盾. The two kanji mean "spear" and "shield," representing the core idea of conflicting entities.