ただならぬ

た

だ

な

ら

ぬ

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

noun-modifying (irregular)

unusual; extraordinary; alarming

usually written using kana alone

Prenominal adjective describing something that is not ordinary, often with a nuance of seriousness or alarm. Commonly used in phrases like ただならぬ気配 (an unusual atmosphere) or ただならぬ事態 (an extraordinary situation).

部屋へやに入はいると、ただならぬ雰ふん囲い気きを感かんじた。
When I entered the room, I sensed an unusual atmosphere.
彼かれのただならぬ様よう子すに、何なにかあったのかと心しん配ぱいになった。
His extraordinary demeanor made me worry that something had happened.

See all 4 example sentences ›

Kanji

徒on foot, junior, emptiness
啻incomparable, merely
只only, free, in addition

Related words

普ふ通つう
普通 means 'ordinary' or 'normal' and is a neutral descriptor, while ただならぬ emphasizes deviation from the ordinary, often with a negative or alarming connotation.
異い常じょう
異常 means 'abnormal' and can be used in a wider range of contexts, including technical ones. ただならぬ is more literary and often implies an intuitive sense that something is off.

Written forms

徒ただならぬ
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.
啻ただならぬ
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.
只ただならぬ
irregular kanji usage
Irregular kanji usage; included for search coverage.

Etymology

Derived from ただ (ordinary) + ならぬ (classical negative of なり, 'to be'), literally 'not being ordinary'. The kanji forms are ateji or irregular usages.