Translation guide
How to express the idea of deliberately ignoring something, pretending not to notice, or turning a blind eye in Japanese.
He turned a blind eye to the wrongdoing.
You must not pretend not to notice bullying.
Literally 'act like you don't know'. Used when you ignore someone or something as if you're unaware.
She noticed me but pretended not to.
Literally 'close one's eyes'. Means to overlook or condone something, often used for minor faults.
I'll overlook it just this once.
To overlook, let pass, or miss seeing. Can mean intentional overlooking or accidental missing.
I let his mistake slide.
To turn your gaze away from something, often to avoid seeing it or to show disinterest.
To avert one's eyes. Used when you physically look away from something uncomfortable or to avoid eye contact.
He looked away from me.
I couldn't look away from the painful photo.
To look away, look elsewhere. Often used when someone is distracted or not paying attention.
Don't look away while driving.
To break eye contact or shift one's gaze. Slightly more formal/literary than 目をそらす.
He awkwardly looked away.
To deliberately overlook or condone bad behavior, often by authorities or in a professional context.
To tacitly approve or condone by staying silent. Formal, often used for institutional overlooking.
The company was turning a blind eye to power harassment.
To overlook, let pass. Similar to 見逃す but often implies a more conscious decision to ignore.
To be lenient, to overlook minor faults. Literally 'look with big eyes'.
見て見ぬふりをする is about pretending not to see something you clearly see, often with a negative connotation. 目をつぶる is more about consciously choosing to overlook a fault, sometimes out of kindness.
He pretended not to see the fraud.
I overlooked his lateness.
Do not translate 'looking the other way' literally as 他の方向を見ている. It sounds unnatural and does not convey the idiomatic meaning of ignoring something.
The teacher looked the other way when the students cheated.
I saw him drop litter but I looked the other way.
警察は違法駐車を見過ごしていた。
The police were overlooking illegal parking.
Please go easy on me since it's my first time.