artless; simple and honest; unsophisticated
Describes a person or manner that is plain, straightforward, and without pretense, often with a rustic or unpolished quality. Can carry a positive nuance of sincerity or a slightly negative nuance of naivety depending on context.
His artless, honest personality is liked by everyone.
He has a simple, unaffected way of speaking, but his words carry weight.
素朴 means simple and unadorned, often used for objects, art, or questions, whereas 朴訥 is almost exclusively used for people and their demeanor.
Standard kanji spelling; 朴 suggests simplicity, 訥 suggests slow or inarticulate speech.
Variant spelling using 木 (tree) instead of 朴; less common but still encountered.
The word is composed of 朴 (simple, plain) and 訥 (slow of speech, inarticulate). The combination suggests a person who is plain-spoken and unpolished. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the kanji choice reflects the meaning.