不ふ面めん目ぼく

also: ふめんもく

ふ

め

ん

ぼ

く

Meanings

na-adjective, noun

shame; disgrace; dishonor

Refers to a state of having lost face or honor; often used in formal or written contexts. Can describe a person, action, or situation that brings shame.

彼かれは不ふ面めん目ぼくな行こう為いで会かい社しゃを辞やめた。
He resigned from the company due to a disgraceful act.
試し験けんに落おちて不ふ面めん目ぼくに思おもう。
I feel ashamed for failing the exam.

See all 3 example sentences ›

Kanji

不negative, non-, bad
面mask, face, features
目eye, class, look

Related words

恥はじ
恥 is a more common and general word for shame or embarrassment, while 不面目 is more formal and emphasizes loss of face or honor.
面めん目ぼくない
面目ない is a more colloquial expression meaning 'ashamed' or 'sorry', whereas 不面目 is a stiffer, noun/adjectival noun form.

Built from

不ふ+面めん目ぼく

Written forms

不面目
- ふめんぼく
  Standard kanji spelling; the reading ふめんぼく is more common than ふめんもく.
- ふめんもく
  Less common reading; ふめんぼく is preferred in modern usage.
ふめんもく

Etymology

Compound of 不 (negative prefix) and 面目 (face, honor). The word 面目 itself comes from Chinese, and 不面目 follows the pattern of negating a noun to mean 'lack of' that quality.