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人っ子一人 (ひとっこひとり) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
expression, noun
(not) a single person ; (not) a soul
Always used with a negative predicate to emphasize that absolutely no one is present or does something. Equivalent to 'not a single person' or 'not a soul'.
ひとり
通とお
ら
ない
。
Not a soul passes by at this hour.
Kanji 子 child, sign of the rat, 11PM-1AM Similar words 誰だれ 一人ひとり 誰一人 also means 'not a single person' with a negative, but it is more common and less emphatic than 人っ子一人.
一ひと 人り も 一人も is a simpler way to say 'not even one person', while 人っ子一人 adds a stronger, more vivid emphasis.
Etymology The phrase combines 人 (person), the diminutive suffix っ子, and 一人 (one person). The っ子 element adds an emphatic, colloquial nuance, but the exact historical derivation is uncertain.
