Translation guide
The English word 'void' can refer to emptiness, a legal nullification, or a feeling of loss. This guide helps learners express these concepts naturally in Japanese.
Describing a physical or metaphorical empty space, nothingness, or vacuum.
Making something legally invalid or without effect.
Expressing an emotional void left by someone or something.
A common idiomatic expression meaning 'as if a hole has been opened', describing a sense of emptiness.
彼がいなくなって、心にぽっかりと穴が空いたようだ。
Since he left, I feel a void in my heart.
Directly translating 'void' as 空虚 (kuukyo) for emotional emptiness can sound overly dramatic or literary. The idiomatic phrase ぽっかりと穴が空いたよう is more natural in everyday conversation.
His heart was void.
Conveys nothingness or nihilism, often used in philosophical contexts.
宇宙の虚無を感じる。
I feel the void of the universe.
Literally 'blank space', used for empty areas or gaps, including in memory or records.
記憶に空白がある。
There is a void in my memory.
Specifically a physical vacuum, like in science.
真空状態を作り出す。
Create a void (vacuum) state.
The noun form meaning 'invalid' or 'null and void'.
この契約は無効です。
This contract is void.
Means to cancel or revoke, often used for voiding a decision or order.
判決を取り消した。
The court voided the ruling.
A noun meaning 'sense of loss', often used for emotional voids.
彼女の死後、深い喪失感に襲われた。
After her death, I was overcome by a deep void.