“naisho” vs. “himitsu”：Did You Notice How to Use These?
What is the difference between “内緒(naisho) and 秘密(himitsu)”? Which is a much stronger meaning? After reading this, you would be answering this question. Let me introduce what their subtle differences are and how you correctly use them such as native speakers today!
内緒 (naisho) and 秘密 (himitsu)
Secret / 保密, 秘密 / 비밀 / Bí mật, Bí mật
“内緒(naisho) and 秘密(himitsu)” mean “Secret” and which has been used as the meaning of “a piece of information that is only known by one person or a few people and should not be told to others”. The basic way to use it is “___は内緒/秘密です。(___ is a secret.)”, etc. For instance, “これは内緒/秘密です。(This is a secret.)”, etc. The tips for using them are that although “内緒” and “秘密” are the same meaning, “秘密” is a stronger meaning than “内緒“. For instance, a girl/woman says that “彼氏に内緒でランチに行った。(I went eat lunch secretly from my boyfriend.)” which I think “she wanted to go eat expensive lunch or something?”, whereas “彼氏に秘密でランチに行った。(I went eat lunch secretly from my boyfriend.)” which I think she probably cheats on him. Both of them mean she has a secret, however, basically “秘密” has a stronger meaning than “内緒“. Furthermore, “内緒” tends to be used in daily conversations as casual and “秘密” tends to be used as formal. Everyone could use “内緒 and 秘密” as casual, polite and formal such as “内緒/秘密にしておくね/よ。(Just between us.)” as casual and “内緒/秘密にしておいてください。(Just between us.)” as polite and formal.
“どれがいい？(Which do you prefer?)”/”どっちがいい？(Which do you prefer?)” as casual and “どれがいいですか？(Which do you prefer?)”/”どっちがいいですか？(Which do you prefer?)” as polite and formal. Lastly, “どっち” is used as casual and polite and “どちら” is used formal which are the same meaning.
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Sample
yuka内緒にしておいてね。 (This is between us, okay?) (一定要保密哦。) (비밀로 해줘.) (Cậu giữ bí mật giúp mình nhé.) (naisho ni shiteoite ne.)
tatsuya内緒にしておくよ。 (Just between us.) (我会保密的。) (비밀로 해둘게.) (Tôi sẽ giữ bí mật cho bạn.) (naisho ni shiteoku yo.)
yukaまだ内緒ー。 (It’s still a secret.) (这还是秘密哦。) (아직 비밀~.) (Vẫn còn là bí mật.) (mada naisho-.)
tatsuyaこれは僕たちだけの内緒。彼女に言わないでね。 (This is between us. Please don’t tell my girlfriend about it.) (这是我们的秘密。不要告诉她喔。) (이건 우리끼리만의 비밀이야. 여자친구한테는 말하지 말아줘.) (Đây là chuyện bí mật giữa chúng ta thôi. Đừng nói với cô ấy nhé.) (kore wa bokutachi dake no naisho. kanojo ni iwanaide ne.)
yuka秘密にしておいてくださいね。 (This is between us, okay?) (请你保密。) (비밀로 해 주세요.) (Xin hãy giữ bí mật nhé.) (himitsu ni shiteoite kudasai ne.)
tatsuya秘密にしておきます。 (Just between us.) (我会保密的。) (비밀로 해 둘게요.) (Tôi sẽ giữ bí mật.) (himitsu ni shiteoki masu.)
yukaまだ秘密ー。 (It’s still a secret.) (还是一个秘密。) (아직 비밀~.) (Vẫn còn là bí mật.) (mada himitsu-.)
tatsuyaこのラーメンの隠し味は企業秘密です。 (The secret ingredient in this Ramen is a company secret.) (这个拉面的绝味配方是一个商业秘密。) (이 라면의 제조법은 영업 비밀입니다.) (Gia vị bí ẩn của loại mì Ramen này chính là bí mật của công ty.) (kono rāmen no kakushi aji wa kigyō himitsu desu.)
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