Japanese Conversation · Level 43
90 words
Japanese word
無
Pronunciation
Romajimu
Meaning
- nounnothing
Example
無から何かが生まれます。mu ka ra nan ka ga u ma re ma su
Something comes from nothing.
More examples
せっかくの努力を無にしたくありません。se kka ku no do ryoku o mu ni shi ta ku a ri ma se n
I do not want to make all that effort come to nothing.
Core concept
Points to a condition in which no thing, content, or amount is present.
Common phrases
無に帰すmu ni kae su
come to nothing
無から有を生むmu ka ra yū o u mu
create something from nothing
Similar words
無しnashi: The absence of a person or thing in a particular situation.
Definition in Japanese
何も存在せず、数量や内容も全くないこと。nan mo son zai se zu sū ryō ya nai yō mo matta ku na i ko to
Word origin
無 (mu, "nothing") is the Sino-Japanese reading of the Chinese character 無, whose basic meaning is "without" or "not have".
Usage tips
- Japanese often expresses an answer of "nothing" with 何もない (nanimo nai, "there is nothing"), whereas 無 (mu) is common in formal or abstract language.
Other meanings
- zeronoun
Opposites
- 有yūexistencenoun