What someone really thinks is “honne”, but what they actually express is “tatemae”. In Western countries we could call it hypocrisy, but in Japan knowing how to

What someone really thinks is “honne”, but what they actually express is “tatemae”. In Western countries we could call it hypocrisy, but in Japan knowing how to express tatemae and honne at the right time is considered a virtue. In western countries, words related to the difference between what you really think and what you say are politeness, tact, courtesy, negotiation, and rhetoric. And others, of course, you should get the idea. Hypocrisy is really something different. Hypocrisy means espousing a self-serving double-standard. It means advocating one thing while practicing the opposite for personal gain.