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うやむや (uyamuya) Japanese meaning: vague | Kotomora
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The issue remains unresolved.
He gave a vague reply and didn't answer clearly.
Usage patterns 〈 事こと 〉 をうやむやにする to leave a matter vague/unresolved (often deliberately, to avoid responsibility)
The company left the responsibility for the incident unresolved.
〈 事こと 〉 がうやむやになる for a matter to end up vague/unresolved
As a result of the discussion, the issue ended up unresolved.
Kanji 無 nothingness, none, ain't Related words 曖昧 focuses on ambiguity or lack of clarity in meaning or expression, while 有耶無耶 emphasizes a situation being deliberately left unsettled or swept under the rug.
不明瞭 is a formal, neutral word for indistinctness (e.g. of sound or speech), whereas 有耶無耶 is colloquial and often implies intentional avoidance or cover-up.
玉虫色 describes an answer or decision made deliberately open to multiple interpretations, while 有耶無耶 describes a matter left unresolved or dropped without a clear conclusion.
Written forms うやむや Usage 85%
Usually written in kana; the kanji form 有耶無耶 is ateji and rare.
ウヤムヤ Usage 11%
search-only kana form
Katakana form; search-only variant.
有う 耶や 無む 耶や Usage 4%
ateji (phonetic kanji usage)
Ateji kanji form; rarely used in modern writing.
Etymology From 有耶無耶, literally “is it or is it not?”, an expression whose indeterminate alternatives yielded the sense “unclear; ambiguous.”
