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未知 (みち, michi) Japanese meaning: unknown | Kotomora

未み知ち

み

ち

Common word›JLPTN1›Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

1

noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', noun

unknown; not yet known; strange

Describes something not yet encountered, understood, or experienced; often used in formal or written contexts. Antonym: 既知 (known).

Antonyms: 既知

未み知ちのウイルスが

発はっ

見けん

さ

れ

た

。

An unknown virus was discovered.

彼かれは未み知ちの世せ界かいに足あしを踏ふみ入いれた。

He stepped into an unknown world.

Usage patterns

未み知ちの〈物もの〉an unknown/undiscovered thing
深しん海かいにはまだ未み知ちの生せい物ぶつがたくさんいる。
There are still many undiscovered creatures in the deep sea.
未み知ちの〈事こと〉に挑ちょうむto take on/challenge the unknown
彼かの女じょは未み知ちの分ぶん野やに挑ちょうむ決けつ意いをした。
She resolved to take on an unfamiliar field.

Expressions

未み知ちの領りょう域いきuncharted territory; unknown waters; unfamiliar terrain

Kanji

未un-, not yet, hitherto
知know, wisdom

Related words

不ふ明めいN2
不明 means 'unclear/unknown' and is used for facts or causes that are unclear, while 未知 refers to things not yet experienced or discovered.
未み詳しょう
未詳 is a formal term meaning 'details unknown', typically used for authorship or origins, whereas 未知 is broader and covers anything not yet known or explored.
見み知しらぬN2
未知 is a noun for 'the unknown' in an abstract or scientific sense, while 見知らぬ is a pre-noun adjective describing something concrete one has never seen before.

Opposites

既き知ち
known; already known; established
周しゅう知ち
未知 describes something unknown or unexplored, the direct opposite of 周知's sense of being widely known.

Don't confuse with

無む知ちN1
無知 means 'ignorant, lacking knowledge' (a trait of a person), while 未知 means 'not yet known' (a state of a thing); the similar kanji 未 and 無 often confuse learners.

Word family

未み知ち数すう
unknown; unknown number; variable · unknown quantity; uncertain factor
未み知ち語ご
unknown word; unknown language
未み知ち状じょう態たい
unknown state

Written forms

未み知ちUsage95%
Standard kanji spelling; high-frequency in news and general use.
ミチUsage5%

Etymology

Compound of 未 (mi, 'not yet') and 知 (chi, 'know'). The reading みち is the on'yomi of both characters.