面白くない
omoshirokunai
The English phrase "not funny" is translated into Japanese as 面白くない (omoshirokunai).
面白くない is used to describe something that is not amusing or lacks humor.
Which one should you use?
While 面白くない specifically means not funny or not interesting, the word つまらない is often used to mean "boring" or "trivial".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Adding です to the end results in 面白くないです, which is polite and suitable for use with strangers or superiors. For situations requiring utmost politeness, you can use 面白くありません, which has a slightly more formal tone. In casual settings, such as among friends, you might use 面白くないね.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Kansai region, people use おもんない instead of 面白くない to mean "not funny".
How does it change in a sentence?
The form 面白くない is the negative conjugation of the i-adjective 面白い. To express the past tense, "was not funny" or "was not interesting", change the final -i to -kunakatta to form 面白くなかった.
How do you pronounce it?
omoshirokunai
Did you know?
- Depending on the intonation, 面白くない can express a feeling of unfairness or resentment. In this context, it means 'it's not right' or 'I am dissatisfied with this result'.
- The word 面白い contains the characters for 'face' and 'interest'. Originally, it described the feeling of seeing a bright, colorful face or a vivid scene.
- To be extremely polite, one might avoid saying 面白くない entirely and instead use a phrase like 微妙です, meaning 'it is subtle'. This avoids the direct negativity of the word 'not'.
Examples in context
- やめて。面白くないし。Stop. It's not funny.This sentence is useful for expressing that something is not funny using the form 面白くない.Tatoeba #10472615 by small_snow, translation #1943866 by Spamster
- すみません、それはおもしろくないですね。Sumimasen, sore wa omoshirokunai desu ne.
- このコメディーショーは面白くありませんでした。Kono komediishoo wa omoshiroku arimasen deshita.
- それ、面白くないね。Sore, omoshirokunai ne.
- それ、おもんないわ。Sore, omon'nai wa.
- その冗談は面白くないよ。Sono jōdan wa omoshirokunai yo.That joke is not funny.
- この映画は全然面白くない。Kono eiga wa zenzen omoshirokunai.This movie is not funny at all.
Example conversation
Ren tells a joke to Yui.
- 蓮 Ren今の冗談、どうだった？Ima no jōdan, dō datta?How was that joke?
- 結衣 Yuiごめん、全然面白くない。Gomen, zenzen omoshirokunai.Sorry, it's not funny at all.
- 蓮 Renえっ、本当？E, hontō?What, really?
- 結衣 Yuiうん。次はいいのを考えてね。Un. Tsugi wa ii no o kangaete ne.Yeah. Think of a better one next time.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
