やんごとない

や

ん

ご

と

な

い

Meanings

1

i-adjective

noble; high-born; exalted

usually written using kana alone

Describes someone of noble birth or high social rank. Often used in historical or literary contexts; in modern Japanese it can sound old-fashioned or formal.

彼かの女じょはやんごとない家いえ柄がらの出しゅつだ。
She comes from a noble family.

やんごとない身み分ぶんの方かた々がたが集あつまる会かい合ごうだった。

It was a gathering of people of exalted rank.

Written forms

やんごとないUsage100%
Usually written in kana; the kanji form 止ん事無い is rare.
止やん事ごと無ない
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji spelling; the kana form is strongly preferred in modern usage.

Kanji

止stop, halt
事matter, thing, fact
無nothingness, none, ain't

Similar words

高こう貴き
高貴 is a more common and neutral word for 'noble' or 'high-ranking', while やんごとない carries a classical, literary nuance.
貴とうとい
貴い means 'precious' or 'noble' in a broader sense, including moral or spiritual nobility, whereas やんごとない specifically refers to high birth or social status.

Etymology

Derived from the classical Japanese expression 止ん事無し (やんごとなし), meaning 'unavoidable' or 'irreplaceable', which came to be associated with high status. The exact historical development is uncertain.