Translation guide
To pretend not to know or be involved in something, often to avoid blame or responsibility. In Japanese, this is expressed through various phrases and verbs that convey feigning ignorance or innocence.
He played innocent when I asked him.
Don't play innocent!
Acting as if you have no knowledge of something, especially when you actually do.
Literally 'to do a pretending-not-to-know'. A very common and natural way to say 'play innocent' when feigning ignorance.
He played innocent when I asked him.
A verb meaning to play dumb or feign ignorance. Often used when someone is clearly avoiding the truth.
Literally 'to cut white', meaning to feign innocence or pretend not to know. Slightly more emphatic than とぼける.
An intensified version of とぼける, implying a more blatant or cheeky feigning of ignorance. Casual.
He played completely innocent, pretending not to know.
Acting as if you had nothing to do with a situation, especially when you are guilty or responsible.
Literally 'to make a face as if one doesn't know'. Used when someone acts completely uninvolved.
He played innocent and said nothing about the incident.
A colloquial verb meaning to play dumb or feign ignorance, often with a nuance of shamelessness. Casual.
Literally 'to wear a cat', meaning to feign innocence or pretend to be meek and harmless. Often used for someone hiding their true nature.
Acting as if you are naive, innocent, or harmless, often to manipulate or avoid suspicion.
とぼける is a verb that directly means 'to play dumb', while 知らんぷりをする is a phrase meaning 'to pretend not to know'. とぼける can be used in more situations, including when someone is avoiding answering a question. 知らんぷりをする is specifically about ignoring something as if you didn't notice it.
He immediately plays dumb when things get awkward.
Even when I waved, he played innocent and ignored me.
Do not translate 'play innocent' literally as 無邪気を演じる or similar. The natural Japanese expressions are idiomatic and context-dependent. Using a literal translation will sound unnatural.
play innocent (literal, unnatural)
とぼけないで、本当のことを言って。
Don't play innocent, tell me the truth.
彼は白を切って、何も知らないと言った。
He played innocent and said he didn't know anything.
Playing innocent won't help. We have evidence.
She plays innocent in front of her boss.
She always plays innocent and acts cutesy to get men to spoil her.