reticence; taciturnity; being of few words
Describes a person who speaks very little, often by nature. Can be used as a noun or as a na-adjective (寡言な人). Somewhat literary; in casual speech 口数が少ない is more common.
He is a man of few words and hardly speaks even in meetings.
寡言は金、雄弁は銀。
Silence is golden, speech is silver.
taciturn; reticent; of few words
Composed of 寡 (few, little) and 言 (words, speech). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the spelling is conventionally associated with the meaning of reticence.