嘘

Meaning in English

lie, falsehood

Stroke order

Animated kanji stroke order

嘘

Sentence

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Dictionary

Word context

What it means

What does 嘘 (uso) mean? It denotes an untrue statement or claim made intentionally or presented as fact; in everyday Japanese it names the concept of lying and is used both as a noun for falsehood and as an exclamation to express disbelief or surprise.

Main meanings

1. An exclamation expressing surprise or disbelief (equivalent to “No way!” or “You’re kidding!”).
2. Playful teasing or “just kidding” when used lightly among friends.
3. Basis for related words that label people who lie or acts of lying (appears in compounds and verbs).

How to use it

Used widely in spoken and written Japanese; common in casual conversation to call something a lie or to react with disbelief, and as the root for verbs/compounds that describe lying; in formal or legal contexts speakers prefer terms like 虚偽 (kyogi) to avoid casual tone.

Variants and close terms

虚偽 (kyogi) — falsehood, often formal/legal.
偽り (itsuwari) — falsehood, deception (more literary).
本当 (hontou) — truth (antonym).
真実 (shinjitsu) — truth, reality (antonym).

Composition

The kanji combines a speech-related element and a component tied to emptiness/falsehood: the character visually pairs the speech radical element with 虚 (meaning emptiness, false), suggesting the idea of speech that is empty or untrue.

Word class

noun, interjection (名詞、間投詞)