The concept of 'face' (honor) in Japanese and its translations


This post concerns the concept of 'face' in Japanese (and slightly from the
point of view of Chinese language and culture, where it is pervasive, [cf.
Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Face_\(sociological_concept\))).

[Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Face_\(sociological_concept\))'s
definition of "face" is: Face is a class of behaviors and customs practiced
mainly in Asian cultures, associated with the morality, honor, and authority
of an individual (or group of individuals), and its image in social groups.

According to Wikipedia, the concept of "face" is very present in East Asia, in
particular China (where the word for it is
[面子](https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%9D%A2%E5%AD%90) _miànzi_ , but can also
be 脸 _liǎn_ , such as in 不要脸 _bù yào liǎn_ 'have no sense of shame' or 丢脸
_diūliǎn_ 'lose face'), Indonesia, Korea, and also Japan.

Unfortunately, there is no Wikipedia page in Japanese for this concept.

In the dictionary I use, I crossed upon the example **名誉** は関わる問題なので、彼はあった 'He
got angry because his **honor** was at stake'.

The same dictionary also gives 顔 ( _kao_ ), with the 3rd meaning being
'honor'/'honour'/'face', but on the many examples provided, no one corresponds
indeed to this meaning.

And [here](https://eow.alc.co.jp/search?q=save%20face) are provided the three
basic words for face in Japanese: 面目 ( _menboku_ )・体面 ( _taimen_ )・名誉 (
_meiyo_ ). On this forum was pointed out that
[面子](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/91010/can-%E9%9D%A2%E5%AD%90-mean-
face-as-in-the-physical-face) ( _mentsu_ ), also written メンツ exists as well in
Japanese, and translates as 'face' in the sense of 'honor'.

I have two questions:

(1) Which words are the most used in Japanese to refer to 'honor'?

(a) Is it the words more related to the meaning 'face' (面目, 顔, 体面, 面子/メンツ)? If
yes, which one is the most used?

(b) Or is it the words more related to the meaning 'honor' (e.g. 名誉)?

(2) What is the most common way to say "lose face"/"save face"? And also, do
Japanese people often use these two expressions? (In Chinese, 要面子 _yào miànzi_
'be keen on face-saving', 丢脸 _diūliǎn_ 'lose face', 不要脸 _bù yào liǎn_ 'have no
sense of shame' are quite pervasive).

Additionnally, for those who know Chinese, is there any remaining difference
(in terms of meaning, usage, connotation, etc.) between Chinese 面子 and
Japanese 面目, 顔, 体面, 面子/メンツ?




面目, 顔, 体面, 面子/メンツ - these words are usually used in the context of losing or
protecting it, and not in the "winning" context, like getting awards. "Lose
face" and "save face" can be translated using any of them.

名誉 - I think its usage is broader, one can lose it (名誉を傷つける, 名誉毀損) or win it
(名誉なこと, 名誉挽回). It's often associated with awards.

I know I'm not getting to the point of which one is "the most used", but my
answer would be it depends on the context.

