Translation guide
Describes someone who tries to appear more important, cultured, or intelligent than they really are. Japanese has many nuanced expressions for this, from mild teasing to sharp criticism.
To describe someone who puts on airs, acts fancy, or tries to seem cultured.
Common phrase meaning 'to put on airs' or 'to be affected'. Describes someone acting in a pretentious, snobbish, or overly refined manner.
彼女はいつも気取っていて、話しにくい。
She's always so pretentious, it's hard to talk to her.
Verb meaning 'to try to be stylish/chic' but often implies trying too hard and coming off as pretentious. More about trying to be cool or fashionable.
彼は粋がってフランス語を使うけど、発音がめちゃくちゃだ。
He tries to be chic by using French, but his pronunciation is terrible.
Literally 'to act refined/elegant'. Used when someone is clearly putting on a show of being upper-class or genteel.
上品ぶった話し方が鼻につく。
Her pretentious way of speaking gets on my nerves.
To describe someone who flaunts their knowledge, uses big words, or acts intellectually superior.
Noun/suru-verb meaning 'pretending to know' or 'know-it-all'. Describes someone who acts knowledgeable but often doesn't really know.
彼の知ったかぶりにはうんざりだ。
I'm fed up with his pretentious know-it-all attitude.
Means 'to flaunt one's knowledge'. Directly describes the act of showing off what you know in a pretentious way.
彼はいつも知識をひけらかして、周りを見下している。
He's always showing off his knowledge and looking down on others.
Formal adjective meaning 'pedantic' or 'pretentiously scholarly'. Used in writing or formal speech.
To describe someone who is fake, affected, or not genuine in their behavior.
Idiom meaning 'to feign innocence' or 'to put on a false front of friendliness'. Often used when someone hides their true nature.
彼は上司の前では猫をかぶっている。
He acts all innocent and nice in front of the boss.
Means 'to bluff' or 'to put up a bold front'. More about pretending to be strong or confident.
To describe language that is unnecessarily complex or highbrow.
Simple phrase meaning 'to use difficult words'. Often implies pretentiousness when used in everyday contexts.
彼はいつも難しい言葉を使って、自分を賢く見せようとする。
He always uses big words to try to look smart.
Adjective meaning 'unnecessarily complicated' or 'obscure'. Describes speech or writing that is pointlessly difficult.
彼の小難しい説明は誰も理解できなかった。
No one could understand his pretentiously complicated explanation.
気取っている is about acting refined or snobbish, while 知ったかぶり is specifically about pretending to know things. Use 気取っている for mannerisms and attitude, and 知ったかぶり for intellectual pretentiousness.
There is no single Japanese word that covers all nuances of 'pretentious'. Direct translations like 'pretentiousな' are not natural. Choose the phrase that matches the specific type of pretentiousness.
His pedantic lecture was boring.
Noun/adjective meaning 'show-off' or 'vain person'. Someone who cares too much about appearances and tries to look better than they are.
彼女は見栄っ張りだから、いつもブランド物を持っている。
She's so pretentious, she always carries designer stuff.
彼は虚勢を張っているだけで、本当は怖がっている。
He's just putting on a brave front; he's actually scared.