muteness; speech impairment
Refers to the condition of being unable to speak. Can be used medically or descriptively. The term is somewhat dated and may be considered insensitive in modern contexts; 言語障害 is often preferred for speech impairment.
He was born mute and communicates using sign language.
mute person; deaf-mute
Only with reading おし / おうし
Refers to a person who cannot speak. The reading おし is standard; おうし is obsolete. This term is sensitive and can be offensive; modern usage often prefers 聾唖者 or more specific terms like 聴覚障害者. This sense is sensitive.
In the old tale, a mute girl appears.
voiceless cicada; female cicada
Standard kanji form for 'muteness' or 'mute person'. The reading おし is the most common.
Search-only variant kanji form; not commonly used in modern writing.
Kana spelling is sometimes used for clarity or sensitivity, especially when referring to a person.
The kanji 唖 is a phono-semantic compound: 口 (mouth) + 亞 (a phonetic component, also suggesting 'secondary' or 'inferior'). The reading おし is a native Japanese word (kun'yomi) for muteness. The reading あ is the on'yomi, and おうし is an obsolete kana rendering of the same on'yomi.