Translation guide
How to express the idea of deliberately ignoring something, pretending not to notice, or turning a blind eye in Japanese.
To deliberately ignore something you see or know, often to avoid confrontation or responsibility.
Literally 'pretend to see and not see'. A common, natural way to say you're turning a blind eye to something.
彼は不正を見て見ぬふりをした。
He turned a blind eye to the wrongdoing.
いじめを見て見ぬふりしてはいけない。
You must not pretend not to notice bullying.
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.
彼は私から目をそらした。
He looked away from me.
つらい写真から目をそらせなかった。
I couldn't look away from the painful photo.
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.
会社はパワハラを黙認していた。
The company was turning a blind eye to power harassment.
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.
彼は不正を見て見ぬふりをした。
He pretended not to see the fraud.
彼の遅刻には目をつぶった。
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.
先生は生徒がカンニングをしているのを見て見ぬふりをした。
The teacher looked the other way when the students cheated.
彼がゴミを捨てるのを見たけど、知らんぷりをした。
I saw him drop litter but I looked the other way.
Literally 'act like you don't know'. Used when you ignore someone or something as if you're unaware.
彼女は私に気づいたのに、知らんぷりをした。
She noticed me but pretended not to.
Literally 'close one's eyes'. Means to overlook or condone something, often used for minor faults.
今回だけは目をつぶってあげる。
I'll overlook it just this once.
To overlook, let pass, or miss seeing. Can mean intentional overlooking or accidental missing.
彼のミスを見逃してやった。
I let his mistake slide.
To look away, look elsewhere. Often used when someone is distracted or not paying attention.
運転中によそを見てはいけない。
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.
彼は気まずそうに視線を外した。
He awkwardly looked away.
To overlook, let pass. Similar to 見逃す but often implies a more conscious decision to ignore.
警察は違法駐車を見過ごしていた。
The police were overlooking illegal parking.
To be lenient, to overlook minor faults. Literally 'look with big eyes'.
初めてだから大目に見てください。
Please go easy on me since it's my first time.