Negative prefix used in Sino-Japanese compounds to indicate absence or negation. Productive but mostly in established words.
Take an indifferent attitude.
Prefix indicating something is bad, poor, or lacking in quality. Less common than the simple negative sense; found in words like 無愛想 (brusque) or 無作法 (rude).
無意味な議論はやめよう。
Let's stop this meaningless discussion.
I was surprised by his curt reply.
You should avoid rude behavior.
非 negates by marking deviation from a norm (非現実的), whereas 無 simply denotes absence or lack, sometimes with a pejorative nuance (無愛想).
safe; secure; innocuous · acceptable; passable; adequate
rudeness; impoliteness; discourtesy; insolence
long silence; not being in touch; neglecting to contact
long silence; no contact for a long time
unsociable; unfriendly; blunt; surly; curt; cold; brusque
unsightly; clumsy; awkward; shameful-looking
outrageous; arrogant; acting as if no one else matters
boorish; tactless; unrefined; unromantic
boorish; uncouth; rustic; clumsy; brusque
Standard kanji spelling for the negative prefix ぶ.
Alternate kanji spelling, less common than 無 for this prefix.
Sino-Japanese prefix derived from Middle Chinese, corresponding to the concept of 'not having' or 'lacking'. The kanji 無 is used for its meaning of 'nothingness' or 'absence'.
laziness; indolence; sloth
numerical inferiority; being outnumbered
ill-mannered; rude; impolite
stubble; unshaven face; 5-o'clock shadow
safety; security; peace · safely; without incident; successfully · good health; well-being · inaction; ennui
villainous; rascally; knavish · independent; self-reliant
safely; without incident; successfully · peacefully; quietly; in peace
long silence; neglecting to keep in touch
rude; presumptuous; cheeky; outspoken
11th note of the ancient Chinese chromatic scale (approx. C) · ninth month of the lunar calendar
boredom; ennui; tedium · discontent; unease
unamiability; lack of charm · brusque; unfriendly; curt
unrefined; tasteless; inelegant; prosaic; unpoetic; unromantic; boorish
unparalleled in the three countries (Japan, China, India)