Translation guide
How to express pretending not to know something in Japanese, from casual to formal situations.
To act as if you are unaware of something, often to avoid responsibility or awkwardness.
The most common and neutral way to say 'pretend not to know'. Can be used in various contexts.
He pretended not to know about it.
Please don't pretend you don't know.
To play dumb, feign ignorance in a somewhat sly or evasive way. Often used when someone is avoiding a direct answer.
To feign complete ignorance, often with a nuance of denying involvement or responsibility. Slightly more emphatic than とぼける.
Casual expression meaning to ignore or pretend not to notice. Often used when someone deliberately avoids acknowledging something.
To play dumb in an obvious or exaggerated way. Often implies the person is clearly pretending.
とぼける is a general term for playing dumb, often in casual conversation. 白を切る is stronger, implying a deliberate denial of knowledge or responsibility, and can sound more formal or serious.
Stop playing dumb.
彼はとぼけて何も答えなかった。
He played dumb and didn't answer anything.
Don't play dumb, you know, don't you?
He feigned ignorance and said he had nothing to do with it.
She pretended not to notice me even though she saw me.
He blatantly played dumb and insisted he didn't know.
彼は白を切って逃げようとした。
He tried to feign ignorance and get away.
Avoid directly translating 'feigning ignorance' as 無知を装う (むちをよそおう). While grammatically correct, it sounds unnatural and overly formal in most contexts. Use the phrases above instead.