Word
無口
Meaning in Englishreticence
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Sentence
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Word context
What it means
無口 means taciturn or reticent: a person who tends not to speak much, especially in social situations, appearing calm and reserved.
Main meanings
- habitual reticence in conversation
- silence in group or public settings, sometimes read as politeness or self-restraint
- not necessarily shy; can reflect preference for listening
- may apply to moments of quiet in discussions, not just overall personality
How to use it
Used as a na-adjective to describe a person by a trait; appropriate in neutral descriptions and in both spoken and written Japanese; in formal writing it often conveys a reserved or low-verbosity persona rather than a defect, and it can describe habitual behavior or a temporary state in a discussion.
Variants and close terms
- 寡黙 kamoku — taciturn
- 口数が少ない kōsū ga sukunai — speaks little
- 静か shizuka — quiet
Composition
- 無: 'without, none'
- 口: 'mouth'
- the combination yields a sense of 'without mouth', i.e., not speaking
Etymology
無 (mu) + 口 (kuchi) combine to express the sense of 'without mouth'; the compound historically came to denote someone who speaks little, yielding the modern sense of taciturnity.
Word class
adjective (na-adjective, 形容動詞)
Word
Related words by kanji and components
N1
口述
koujutsu
verbal statement
N1
口頭
koutou
oral
N1
情無い
nasakenai
miserable, pitiable, shameful
N1
感無量
kammuryou
deep feeling, filled with emotion
N1
口吟む
kuchizusamu
to humble
N1
甘口
amakuchi
sweet flavor
N1
素っ気無い
sokkenai
cold, short, curt, blunt
N1
台無し
dainashi
mess, spoiled, (come to) nothing
N1
無難
bunan
safety, security
Kanji