贔屓（ひいき、hiiki）
- favoritism

The Japanese word 贔屓 (ひいき) primarily means "favoritism," "partiality," or "patronage." It describes the act of showing preference or support towards a specific person, group, or thing. It can also refer to the person or thing that receives such favor. This can involve supporting someone, providing them with advantages, or treating them more kindly than others.

⚫︎ あの店は、常連客贔屓が多い。 Translation: That shop has many regular customers who receive favorable treatment. ⚫︎ 彼女は、自分のチームを贔屓して応援した。 Translation: She supported her team with partiality. ⚫︎ 彼はいつも妹を贔屓する。 Translation: He always favors his younger sister.

You use 贔屓 in situations where you want to express favoritism, partiality, or patronage. It's often used when talking about someone receiving special treatment. You can use it in formal or informal settings, although the specific nuance of formality might depend on the context and the phrasing used. It's important to consider whether the favoritism is positive or negative when you are using the word. For example, in some contexts it can be negative, as in 贔屓するな！ (Don’t show favoritism!).

⚫︎ The standard way to write 贔屓 is with the kanji 贔屓 and the reading ひいき in hiragana. ⚫︎ The word is usually written in kanji. ⚫︎ There are no other ways to write the word, and no variations in the okurigana.

⚫︎ えこひいき (えこ［贔屓］): Favoritism, special treatment. ⚫︎ 肩入れ (かたいれ): Giving support or backing, partiality. ⚫︎ ひいき目 (ひいきめ): A biased view, looking at something favorably. ⚫︎ 味方 (みかた): Ally, supporter (can imply favoritism in some contexts).

⚫︎ 公平 (こうへい): Fairness, impartiality. ⚫︎ 平等 (びょうどう): Equality. ⚫︎ 中立 (ちゅうりつ): Neutrality.

社長は、成績の良い社員を贔屓しているようだ。 ・Translation: It seems like the president favors the employees with good performance. ・Explanation: This sentence illustrates how 贔屓 describes the preferential treatment given by the president to high-performing employees.

私はあの選手のファンで、いつも彼を贔屓して応援しています。 ・Translation: I am a fan of that athlete, and I always support him with favoritism. ・Explanation: This sentence showcases how 贔屓is used when expressing personal support, in this case, a fan's preference for an athlete.

The etymology of 贔屓 is a bit uncertain, but the kanji 贔 is related to "to support" and 屓 to "to breathe". Together, the kanji may have originally meant something like "to breathe support into someone" or "to provide strong backing." The meaning evolved to its current form of showing partiality or patronage.