報告（ほうこく、houkoku）
- report

The Japanese word 報告, pronounced ほうこく (houkoku), primarily means "report," "reporting," or "to report." It refers to the act of giving information about something, typically to a superior, authority figure, or a relevant audience. This information can be about events, findings, progress, or any other relevant details. 報告 can be used as a noun (the report itself) or as a verb (the act of reporting). It implies a structured and formal communication of information.

⚫︎ 会議の報告 Translation: Report of the meeting. ⚫︎ 事件について報告する Translation: To report about the incident. ⚫︎ 研究の進捗を報告する Translation: To report the progress of the research.

⚫︎You use 報告 in formal or semi-formal situations. ⚫︎It's common in workplaces, schools, and any setting where information needs to be communicated officially. ⚫︎It's often used when informing someone of something that has happened or of the state of a project, investigation, etc. ⚫︎The choice of which form of 報告 to use (noun or verb) depends on the context. If you are presenting the information, it's often the verb form. If you are referring to the document or the content, it's the noun form.

⚫︎The word is written in kanji as 報告. ⚫︎The reading is ほうこく in hiragana. ⚫︎The verb form "to report" often includes the verb する (suru) after the noun: 報告する. ⚫︎There are no significant variations in okurigana in most standard usage.

⚫︎ 連絡 (れんらく) - contact, communication (more general than 報告) ⚫︎ 通知 (つうち) - notification, announcement ⚫︎ 発表 (はっぴょう) - announcement, presentation (can sometimes overlap) ⚫︎ 声明 (せいめい) - statement, declaration (for official statements)

⚫︎ There aren't direct antonyms as 報告 is the act of providing information. However, the absence of 報告 might be considered its opposite, meaning a failure to provide information. In certain contexts, terms like "conceal" or "hide" might be loosely considered antonyms, but they are not the opposite of 報告.

社長にプロジェクトの進捗状況を報告しました。 ・Translation: I reported the progress of the project to the president. ・Explanation: This sentence demonstrates the use of 報告 as a verb, showing the action of reporting information to a superior.

今日の会議の報告書は明日提出してください。 ・Translation: Please submit the report of today's meeting tomorrow. ・Explanation: In this sentence, 報告 is used in the noun form 報告書(houkokusho - report), indicating the written document.

⚫︎The word 報告 is a compound word composed of two kanji. ⚫︎報 (hou) means "report," "inform," or "reward." ⚫︎告 (koku) means "tell," "inform," or "announce." ⚫︎The combination of these characters conveys the meaning of conveying information or delivering a report.