音おん信しん不ふ通つう

also: いんしんふつう

お

ん

し

ん

ふ

つ

う

Meanings

1

noun

no communication; out of touch; not hearing from someone

yojijukugo (four-character idiom)

Describes a state where contact has been lost, typically with someone who is not responding or whose whereabouts are unknown. Often used in formal or serious contexts.

彼かれとは音おん信しん不ふ通つうになってしまった。
I've lost contact with him.
音おん信しん

不ふ

通つう

の

状じょう

態たい

が

続つづ

い

て

いる

。

The state of no communication continues.

Written forms

音信不通
- おんしんふつう
  Standard kanji form; the reading おんしんふつう is the most common.
- いんしんふつう
  Alternate reading; less common but still encountered.
いんしんふつう

Kanji

音sound, noise
信faith, truth, fidelity
不negative, non-, bad
通traffic, pass through, avenue

Similar words

不ふ通つう
不通 means 'suspended' or 'interrupted' (e.g., 電話不通). 音信不通 specifically refers to a break in personal communication.
連れん絡らくが取とれない
A more casual, everyday phrase meaning 'unable to get in touch'. 音信不通 is more formal and implies a longer or more complete loss of contact.

Etymology

A yojijukugo (four-character compound) composed of 音信 (news, correspondence) and 不通 (interruption, suspension). The reading おんしんふつう is the standard on'yomi; いんしんふつう is a variant.