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.
彼は私が聞いたら知らんぷりをした。
He played innocent when I asked him.
とぼけるな！
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.
彼は私の質問に知らんぷりをした。
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.
とぼけないで、本当のことを言って。
Don't play innocent, tell me the truth.
Literally 'to cut white', meaning to feign innocence or pretend not to know. Slightly more emphatic than とぼける.
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.
An intensified version of とぼける, implying a more blatant or cheeky feigning of ignorance. Casual.
彼はすっとぼけて、知らないふりをした。
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.
彼は素知らぬ顔で、事件について何も言わなかった。
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.
しらばっくれても無駄だよ。証拠があるんだから。
Playing innocent won't help. We have evidence.
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.
To act cute and innocent, often used for someone (especially a woman) who pretends to be naive to get attention or avoid trouble.
彼女は可愛い子ぶって、助けを求めた。
She played innocent and cute, asking for help.
Slang for acting cutesy and innocent, often in an exaggerated or annoying way. Casual.
彼女はいつもぶりっ子して、男性に甘えている。
She always plays innocent and acts cutesy to get men to spoil her.
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.
彼は都合が悪くなるとすぐにとぼける。
He immediately plays dumb when things get awkward.
私が手を振っても、彼は知らんぷりをした。
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.
無邪気を演じる
play innocent (literal, unnatural)
She plays innocent in front of her boss.