Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 無意味 | muimi | [mɯ̟imʲi] (narrow) |
| ナンセンス | nansensu | [nã̠ɰ̃sẽ̞ɰ̃sɨ] (narrow) |
| 馬鹿げた事 | bakageta koto |
Japanese has several ways to express the concept of nonsense depending on whether you mean something lacks logical meaning, is foolish or is simply incoherent. 無意味 is used for things that are meaningless. The loanword ナンセンス is often used in intellectual or critical contexts to describe an idea or theory as absurd. For something that lacks coherence or logical sense in speech or writing, you can use the informal word デタラメ. If you are expressing confusion because you cannot understand something, the informal phrase チンプンカンプン can be used to describe that state of disarray.
Which one should you use?
無意味 focuses on the lack of meaning, whereas 馬鹿げた事 emphasizes that something is foolish, ridiculous or absurd.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The loanword ナンセンス is common in intellectual or critical discussions. To highlight statements that are illogical or irrelevant in a more formal way, you can use 筋違い. In informal settings, 馬鹿げている implies that something is utterly foolish or absurd and デタラメ can be used for incoherent nonsense.
How does it change in a sentence?
The loanword ナンセンス functions as a na-adjective. You add な to it to modify a noun, such as in ナンセンスなこと (nonsensical thing).
How do you pronounce it?
muimi
Did you know?
- In Japanese, 馬鹿 (baka), the root of 馬鹿げた事, is written with the characters for 'horse' and 'deer', an old reference to a confusing mistake in identifying animals.
- The expression チンプンカンプン is based on a historical joke about the 'Chinpun' and 'Kanpun' of Buddhist sutras, which sounded like rhythmic gibberish to those who could not read them.
- While ナンセンス comes from 'nonsense', it is often used in Japanese to describe a lack of social tact or an inappropriate joke, rather than just a lack of logic.
Examples in context
- そんなナンセンスなことはやめてくれよ。Cut out the nonsense, will you?This sentence is useful for telling someone to stop doing something nonsensical using ナンセンスな.Tatoeba #204311 by bunbuku, translation #41553 by CK
- 君の言ったことはまったくナンセンスだ。What you said is absolute nonsense.This sentence shows how to describe a statement as absolute nonsense using ナンセンス.Tatoeba #1008469 by mookeee, translation #1008607 by CK
- ハッキリ言って、この「陰謀説」はナンセンスだと思う。To be frank, I think this 'conspiracy theory' is nonsense.This sentence illustrates using ナンセンス to critically describe a theory.Tatoeba #74939 by fcbond, translation #328780 by fcbond
- 山田さんの主張は胡説だと思います。I think Mr. Yamada's argument is nonsense.
- あのドラマ、すごくデタラメなストーリーだよね。That drama has such a nonsensical story, doesn't it?
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Misaki and Kenta are discussing a strange news article.
- 美咲 Misakiこの記事の内容は、無意味な言葉ばかりね。Kono kiji no naiyou wa, muimi na kotoba bakari ne.The content of this article is nothing but meaningless words.
- 健太 Kenta本当に、無意味なことばかり書かれているね。Hontou ni, muimi na koto bakari kakarete iru ne.Truly, it is filled with nothing but meaningless things.
- 美咲 Misaki読む価値もないわ。Yomu kachi mo nai wa.It's not even worth reading.
- 健太 Kentaそうだね、時間の無駄だよ。Sou da ne, jikan no muda da yo.You're right, it's a waste of time.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “nonsense” translations and entries 無意味, ナンセンス, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
