pre-noun adjectival
Describes something that is not as it should be, incorrect, or unfounded. Often used in fixed expressions like あらぬ疑い (unfounded suspicion) or あらぬ方向 (wrong direction).
pre-noun adjectival
Used for something unforeseen or surprising, often in literary or set expressions. Less common in everyday speech.
He was suspected of something he didn't do.
The conversation went off in a wrong direction.
He looked at me as if I were a stranger.
I end up thinking about unrelated things.
I was surprised by an unexpected event.
casual; indifferent; nonchalant
Rare kanji spelling; may appear in older texts.
Rare kanji spelling; may appear in older texts.
Derived from the classical Japanese negative form of the verb ある (to be), あらず, with the attributive form あらぬ. It fossilized as a pre-noun adjectival meaning 'not being (the expected one)', hence 'wrong', 'different', or 'unexpected'.