English–Japanese

“without permission” in Japanese

Japanese

Also勝手に (katteni)

Pronunciation

Romajimudan

Example

彼は無断で会社を休みました。kare wa mu dan de gai sha o yasu mi ma shi ta

He took a day off work without permission.

Illustration for 無断 (without permission)

How to say “without permission” in Japanese

“Without permission” in Japanese is 無断 (mudan).

It marks an action taken while the person who should have been asked has had no chance to agree.

Full entry for 無断: usage tips, similar words and word origin

Example sentences with 無断

彼は無断で資料をコピーしました。kare wa mu dan de shi ryō o ko pī shi ma shi ta

He copied the materials without permission.

Tips for using 無断

  • In conversation, 無断で (mudan de) sounds more formal and more accusatory than 勝手に (katte ni), so it commonly appears in workplace complaints and posted rules.

Other Japanese words for “without permission”

人の物を勝手に使ってはいけません。hito no mono o kat te ni tsuka tte wa i ke ma se n

You must not use other people's things without permission.

“without permission” in other languages