お人ひと好よし

お

ひ

と

よ

し

Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

noun, na-adjective, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'

good-naturedness; soft-heartedness

Describes a personality trait of being overly kind, trusting, or unable to refuse requests, often to one's own disadvantage.

彼かれのお人ひと好よしには呆あきれてしまう。

I'm amazed at his good-naturedness.

お人ひと好よしな性せい格かくが災わざわいして、いつも損そんをしている。

His soft-hearted nature works against him, and he always ends up losing out.

noun

good-natured person; soft touch; easy mark

Refers to a person who is overly trusting, easily taken advantage of, or a 'soft touch'. Often carries a slightly negative or pitying nuance.

彼かれはお人ひと好よしだから、すぐに騙だまされてしまう。
He's such a soft touch that he gets tricked easily.
あんなお人ひと好よしは見みたことがない。
I've never seen such a good-natured person.

Kanji

人person
好fond, pleasing, like something

Related words

善ぜん人にん
お人好し emphasizes being naively soft-hearted and easily fooled, matching the second, more critical sense of 善人.
めでたいN2
お人好し is a noun labeling a person as naively good-natured, while めでたい (naive sense) is an adjective describing that same overly trusting quality.
世せ間けん知しらずN2
お人好し describes someone overly trusting or easily fooled out of kindness, while 世間知らず describes someone simply lacking worldly experience.

Written forms

お人ひと好よし
Standard kanji spelling.
お人ひとよし
Common variant with よし in kana.

Etymology

Compound of the honorific prefix お (o), 人 (hito, 'person'), and 好し (yoshi, the classical terminal form of 良い 'good'). Literally 'a good person', but the idiomatic meaning has shifted to imply excessive kindness or gullibility.