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空っとぼける (そらっとぼける) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
ichidan verb, intransitive verb
play dumb ; feign innocence
Used when someone pretends not to know something, often in a slightly comical or obvious way. Similar to とぼける but with a nuance of deliberate, sometimes transparent, feigning.
See also: 空惚ける
いたずら を し た 子こ 供ども が 、 空そら っ と ぼけ て 「 ぼく じゃ ない よ 」 と 言い っ た 。
The child who did the prank feigned innocence and said, 'It wasn't me.'
Written forms 空そら っとぼける
Standard kanji-kana mixed spelling for this verb.
そらっとぼける Usage 100%
Kana spelling is sometimes used in casual writing or when avoiding kanji.
空そら っ 惚とぼ ける
Rare kanji-heavy spelling; the 惚 kanji is uncommon and may be difficult for learners.
Kanji 惚 fall in love with, admire, grow senile Similar words とぼける とぼける also means 'to play dumb' but can be used more broadly for acting forgetful or silly. 空っとぼける emphasizes a more deliberate or obvious pretense of innocence.
しらばくれる しらばくれる is a stronger, more colloquial term for feigning ignorance, often with a negative or accusatory nuance. 空っとぼける is slightly milder and can be used in lighter contexts.
Etymology Compound of 空 (そら, 'empty, feigned') + とぼける ('to play dumb'). The 空 prefix adds a sense of pretending or faking. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word is a natural combination of these elements.
