表沙汰

Etymology

Compound of 表 (omote, “front; on the surface, in the open”) +‎ 沙汰 (sata, “an action, an event”). The sata changes to zata due to rendaku (連濁).

Pronunciation

• Compound: kun'yomi for the 表 (omote) portion, on'yomi for the 沙汰 (sata) portion.
• IPA^(key): [o̞mo̞te̞ za̠ta̠]

Noun

表沙汰 (hiragana おもてざた, rōmaji omotezata)

1. something that has come out into the open: a public incident, something that is public knowledge

   その件 (けん)は表沙汰 (おもてざた)にするな。

   Sono ken wa omotezata ni suru na.

   Don't air your dirty laundry / bring it out into the open. → Keep it private.

2. an issue brought before a court or other public institution

   相続争 (そうぞくあらそ)いを表沙汰 (おもてざた)にする

   sōzoku arasoi o omotezata ni suru

   to take an inheritance dispute public / to court