Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.

Words Kanji Guides About

人面獣心 (じんめんじゅうしん) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

人じん面めん獣じゅう心しん

also: にんめんじゅうしん

じ

ん

め

ん

じゅ

う

し

ん

Meanings

1

noun

beast in human form; human face but beastly heart

yojijukugo (four-character idiom)

A yojijukugo describing a person who appears human but has a cruel, brutish nature. Literary and somewhat old-fashioned; used in moral criticism.

彼かれは人じん面めん獣じゅう心しんの悪あく人にんだ。
He is a villain with a human face but a beastly heart.
人じん面めん

獣じゅう

心しん

と

いう

言こと

葉ば

は

、

外がい

見けん

は

人ひと

で

も

心こころ

は

獣けもの

の

よう

な

者もの

を

指さ

す

。

The phrase 'jinmen jūshin' refers to someone who looks human but has the heart of a beast.

Written forms

人面獣心
- じんめんじゅうしん
  Standard kanji spelling for this yojijukugo.
- にんめんじゅうしん
  Alternate reading; less common than じんめんじゅうしん.
にんめんじゅうしん

Kanji

人person
面mask, face, features
獣animal, beast
心heart, mind, spirit

Similar words

人ひとでなし
A more common, colloquial term for a heartless or inhuman person, while 人面獣心 is a literary yojijukugo.
鬼き畜ちく
Refers to a brute or fiend, often used in stronger condemnations; 人面獣心 emphasizes the contrast between human appearance and beastly nature.

Etymology

A yojijukugo of Chinese origin, combining 人面 (human face) and 獣心 (beast heart). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it follows a common classical pattern of contrasting outward appearance with inner nature.