Translation guide
The quality of being cruel, lacking compassion, or not showing human warmth. In Japanese, this is expressed through nouns describing cruelty, cold-heartedness, or brutality, as well as adjectives and set phrases.
Describing cruel, heartless behavior or a lack of human kindness.
Literally 'non-feeling', this is a common and strong word for heartlessness, cold-bloodedness, or inhumanity. Often used in formal or literary contexts.
彼の非情な決断に皆が驚いた。
Everyone was shocked by his heartless decision.
Cruelty or cold-heartedness. Emphasizes a lack of warmth or mercy. Commonly used to describe people or actions.
彼女は冷酷な言葉を投げつけた。
She hurled cruel words at him.
Brutality or savagery. Implies a more violent, physically cruel aspect of inhumanity.
その犯罪はあまりにも残忍だった。
The crime was too brutal.
Mercilessness, pitilessness. Literally 'without mercy'. Often used in a dramatic or emphatic way.
運命は無慈悲だ。
Fate is merciless.
Idiomatic phrase meaning 'having neither blood nor tears', i.e., completely heartless and inhuman. Very expressive.
あんなことをするなんて、血も涙もない人間だ。
Anyone who would do such a thing is completely inhuman.
Describing a state or action that strips away human qualities, making someone seem less than human.
Inhuman, dehumanizing. Describes conditions, treatment, or systems that lack human warmth or dignity.
難民キャンプの状況は非人間的だ。
The conditions in the refugee camp are inhuman.
Literally 'not a person', a strong insult meaning a brute, monster, or someone who has lost their humanity. Colloquial and emotional.
Referring to inhumanity as a general concept, often in philosophical or historical discussions.
Inhumanity, especially in the sense of violating humanitarian principles. Used in contexts like war crimes or human rights abuses.
戦争の非人道性を訴える。
They protest the inhumanity of war.
The quality of being inhuman; lack of humanity. More abstract and formal.
その制度の非人間性が批判された。
The inhumanity of the system was criticized.
非情 (ひじょう) emphasizes a cold, unfeeling nature. 冷酷 (れいこく) stresses cruelty and lack of mercy. 残忍 (ざんにん) implies physical brutality or savagery. Choose based on the nuance you want to convey.
There is no single direct equivalent for 'inhumanity' that covers all uses. Avoid translating word-for-word; instead, pick the Japanese word that matches the specific shade of meaning (cruelty, coldness, brutality, dehumanization).
彼は人でなしだ。
He's a monster.