虚しい
munashii
The Japanese word for vain is 虚しい (munashii).
Meaning: overly proud of one's appearance (adj)
How do you pronounce it?
munashii
Did you know?
- In Japanese poetry, 虚しい (munashii) is often used to evoke 'mono no aware', the bittersweet realization that all things are transient and will eventually vanish.
- Japanese has a specific word 虚栄心 (kyoeishin) for the 'spirit of vanity', combining the 'emptiness' of 虚しい (munashii) with the 'glory' of 栄 (ei).
- The word 虚しい (munashii) shares its root with the concept of 'void' or 'hollow' in Buddhist philosophy. It describes a state where something lacks substance, making it a much more heavy, existential word than the English 'vain'.
Examples in context
- 私たちは、見た目だけで人を判断するのは無駄であり、虚栄心からくる行為だと認識すべきです。We should recognize that judging people solely based on their appearance is pointless and stems from vanity.
Example conversation
Misaki and Kenta are talking about a mutual friend's social media posts.
- 美咲 Misakiこの人の写真は、少し虚しい感じがするね。Kono hito no shashin wa, sukoshi munashii kanji ga suru ne.These photos of this person feel a bit vain, don't they?
- 健太 Kenta確かに。自撮りばかりで疲れるよ。Tashika ni. Jidori bakari de tsukareru yo.True. It's tiring with all the selfies.
- 美咲 Misaki見た目にこだわりすぎて虚しいと思うわ。Mitame ni kodawari sugite munashii to omou wa.I think it's vain to care too much about looks.
- 健太 Kentaまあ、本人は満足しているんだろうね。Maa, honnin wa manzoku shite irun darō ne.Well, I guess they are satisfied with themselves.
