不在
Meaning in Englishabsence
Animated kanji stroke order
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Word context
What it means
What does 不在 mean? It denotes the state of not being present at a location or in a situation; used to indicate someone or something is away, unavailable, or not present. In Japanese usage, it appears in business notices, official communications, and signage to describe absence.
Main meanings
- Absence of a person from a location or event; used in formal notices and documents
- Temporary unavailability or being away from a place such as an office or desk; common in corporate communication
- Labeling on signs or voicemail indicating the subject is not present at the moment
How to use it
Used in formal and institutional contexts to state absence: on office doors, meeting notices, and formal correspondence; in everyday conversation, more casual forms such as いない or 留守 are preferred depending on the situation.
Variants and close terms
- 欠席 (kesseki) — absence from a meeting or event
- 留守 (rusu) — away from home; common in domestic contexts
- 出席 (shusseki) — attendance; being present
Composition
- 不: negation, 'not'
- 在: to exist, be present
- The combination 不在 directly expresses 'not present' in a Sino-Japanese compound
Etymology
Phonetic evolution The two kanji form a Sino-Japanese compound read with on'yomi: 不 contributes a negating sound, 在 contributes a root related to existence; together they yield fuzai, a single-word pronunciation used for the concept of not being present.
Word class
Noun (名詞)