無知
Meaning in Englishignorance
Animated kanji stroke order
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Related sentences
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Word context
What it means
無知 means a lack of knowledge or awareness about something; it describes not knowing facts or information that could be known, and is often used to describe a state of limited understanding rather than a conscious choice.
Main meanings
- General ignorance or lack of knowledge about a topic or field.
- A state of lacking basic information, sometimes implying surprise or inadequacy in understanding.
- A pejorative sense when used to criticize someone for not knowing something that is reasonably expected to be known.
How to use it
Usage noun usage in formal and informal contexts; in formal writing it can appear as 無知の露呈 or 無知を指摘する; in everyday speech it is used to describe ignorance or lack of knowledge about a topic. Example phrases in Japanese include 無知を露呈する, 無知を恥じる, 彼はその分野の無知を認めた.
Variants and close terms
- 無教養 (mukyōyō) — lack of education
- 知識不足 (chishiki busoku) — lack of knowledge
- 無学 (mugaku) — ignorance
- 教養がある (kyōyō ga aru) — to be educated
- 知識がある (chishiki ga aru) — to have knowledge
Composition
- 無: absence or negation
- 知: knowledge, knowing
- combined meaning: lack of knowledge, ignorance
Etymology
etymology 無知 is a Sino-Japanese compound formed from 無 meaning without and 知 meaning knowledge; its modern reading is むち (muchi) and the meaning stems from the combination of the two semantic components rather than a phonetic change.
Word class
noun (名詞)