How to Say "Nobody" in Japanese

誰も

daremo

The Japanese phrase for 'nobody' is 誰も (daremo).

誰も is used to refer to no person within a particular group or situation.

Which one should you use?

While 誰も means 'nobody', adding the particle が to create 誰もが changes the meaning to 'everyone'.

To express the meaning of 'nobody', you must pair 誰も with a negative verb. Using it with a positive verb is incorrect.

daremo

English speakers often mistakenly use 誰も with a positive verb. To express the absence of people, you must use it with a negative verb.

In Japanese poetry and song lyrics, the concept of 'nobody' is often paired with the word 孤独 ('solitude') to evoke a specific aesthetic of beautiful loneliness.
In Japanese literature, the concept of 'nobody' is often expressed through the lack of a subject rather than a specific word like 誰も, as the language frequently omits the subject entirely.
The word 誰も is built from the word for 'who' and the particle 'even', literally translating to 'not even a who'.

誰も来なかった。
Nobody came.
This sentence is useful for showing that nobody came.
Tatoeba #5093 by bunbuku, translation #1690 by Eldad
誰も知らないよ。
Nobody knows.
This sentence is useful for showing that nobody knows.
Tatoeba #10159677 by small_snow, translation #1841593 by CK
誰も知らなかった。
Nobody knew.
This sentence is useful for showing that nobody knew.
Tatoeba #4272196 by Hashimoto, translation #3823222 by CK
165 more sentences on Tatoeba

At a deserted park in the evening.

陽葵 Himari

誰もいないね。
Daremo inai ne.
There is nobody here, is there?
大翔 Hiroto

そうだね。静かすぎるよ。
Sou da ne. Shizuka sugiru yo.
You're right. It's too quiet.
陽葵 Himari

誰もいないのに、怖くない？
Daremo inai noni, kowakunai?
Aren't you scared even though there's nobody here?
大翔 Hiroto

陽葵と一緒だから大丈夫だよ。
Himari to issho dakara daijoubu da yo.
I'm fine because I'm with you, Himari.

Sources

⭐Share⭐ to appreciate human effort 🙏