失明した
shitsumei shita
In Japanese, the English word 'blind' can be translated in several ways depending on whether you are describing a person's sight or a window covering. If unsure, use 失明した (shitsumei shita). Wiktionary also lists 目の見えない (me no mienai) and 盲目の (mōmoku no).
Meaning: unable to see (adj)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 失明した | shitsumei shita | |
| 目の見えない | me no mienai | |
| 盲目の | mōmoku no | |
| 盲 | mekura | [mo̞ː] (narrow) |
When describing a person who is unable to see, different terms are used based on the context. Note that if you are referring to a window covering, the loanword ブラインド is used instead.
What does it mean word for word?
The form 失明した literally means 'lost light', composed of the characters for loss (失) and brightness or light (明).
Which one should you use?
失明した is a more clinical or formal way to describe having lost one's sight, often used in medical or news contexts.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
shitsumei shita
Did you know?
- In traditional Japanese theater, characters who are blind are often depicted with a specific style of movement and speech to signal their status to the audience.
- In Japanese, the term 盲導犬 (moudouken) for 'guide dog' literally translates to 'blind-guiding dog'.
- The expression 目隠し (mekakushi), meaning 'to blindfold', uses the verb 隠す (kakusu) which means 'to hide'.
Examples in context
- 盲導犬は目の見えない人を助ける。Guide dogs help blind people.This sentence shows how to use 目の見えない to describe people who cannot see.Tatoeba #80157 by bunbuku, translation #323560 by CK
- かわいそうにその女の子は失明した。The poor girl went blind.This sentence uses 失明した to describe the act of losing sight.Tatoeba #226110 by arnab, translation #63450 by Dejo
- ヘレン・ケラーは盲人で、聾唖者です。Helen Keller was blind and deaf.This sentence uses 盲 to describe a person who is blind.Tatoeba #4865219 by guijiu, translation #4866157 by jarbv
- 彼は盲目のアーティストです。He is a blind artist.
- 彼は盲目的にその計画を信じている。He blindly believes in that plan.
- 9 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a news story.
- 大翔 Hirotoこのニュースを見た？ある人が失明したらしいよ。Kono nyūsu o mita? Aru hito ga shitsumei shita rashii yo.Did you see this news? Apparently, someone went blind.
- 結衣 Yuiえっ、本当？どうしてそうなったの？E, hontō? Dōshite sō natta no?What, really? How did that happen?
- 大翔 Hirotoひどい病気で失明したみたいだよ。Hidoi byōki de shitsumei shita mitai da yo.It seems they went blind from a terrible illness.
- 結衣 Yuiそれはとてもつらいね。Sore wa totemo tsurai ne.That is very painful.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “blind” translations and entries 盲, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
