Word
無沙汰
Meaning in Englishneglecting to stay in contact
Animated kanji stroke order
Sentence
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Word context
What it means
無沙汰 means a lack of communication or staying out of touch; used when one has not contacted someone for a while or has not provided updates, often in social or professional contexts.
Main meanings
- absence of news or word from someone, typically after a period without contact (otosata ga nai)
- the state of not replying or informing others; a lack of updated information
- in polite greetings, the fixed expression ご無沙汰 uses a courteous sense of a long lapse in contact (gobusata)
How to use it
Used as a noun to describe a long lapse in contacting someone; common in written communication and polite conversation, often appearing in phrases like ご無沙汰しております to acknowledge a delay in response.
Variants and close terms
- 音沙汰がない (otosata ga nai) — absence of news or word
- ご無沙汰 (ごぶさた, gobusata) — polite form used after a long time without contact
- 音信不通 (onshinfutsuu) — lack of communication
Composition
- 無: nothing, none, absence
- 沙汰: news, matter, affair
- Together: conveys absence of news or word; no response
Etymology
Phonology ぶさた is the current reading of 無沙汲, the two-kanji compound is read as busata in modern Japanese, and the polite form ご無沙汰 adds gobusata through the honorific prefix.
Word class
Noun (名詞)
Word
Related words by kanji and components
N1
無効
mukou
invalid, no effect, unavailable
N1
無言
mugon
silence
N1
無邪気
mujaki
innocence, simple-mindedness
N1
無線
musen
wireless, radio
N1
無駄遣い
mudazukai
waste money on, squander money on
N1
無断
mudan
without permission, without notice
N1
無知
muchi
ignorance
N1
無茶
mucha
absurd, unreasonable
N1
無茶苦茶
muchakucha
confused, jumbled, mixed up, unreasonable
Kanji