also: もうぜん
taru-adjective, adverb taking the 'to' particle
dumbfounded; in a daze; stunned
Describes a state of being so shocked or surprised that one is momentarily unable to react. Often used with とする or となる.
He was dumbfounded by the sudden news.
I could only stand there in a daze.
He was left stunned by the sudden news.
She stood frozen in shock at the scene of the accident.
He stood there with a dazed expression on his face.
He gazed up at the ceiling in a daze.
呆然 describes being stunned into a blank, absent-minded daze (often from grief or shock), while 呆気 names the fleeting shock of being caught off guard, almost always in the set phrase 呆気にとられる.
Rare kanji form with reading もうぜん.
Search-only katakana form.