内緒

ないしょ · naisho · JLPT N1 · noun

secrecy

🤫 内 (inside) + 緒 (thread/cord): a thread kept tied inside, so the matter stays unspoken

内緒 means keeping something held inside, like a thread not let loose. Say ないしょ softly, with a finger held to the lips, to signal a secret.

内 — enclosure 冂 + enter 入
内 originally depicted something entering (入) into an enclosed space (冂), giving the core sense of 'inside' or 'within'. The pictographic image of going into a covered area extended naturally to meanings like inner, internal, and inland. It contrasts with 外 ('outside').

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