沈ちん黙もく

ち

ん

も

く

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

沈黙する · noun or participle which takes 'suru'

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	沈ちん黙もくする	沈ちん黙もくしない
Polite	沈ちん黙もくします	沈ちん黙もくしません
Past polite	沈ちん黙もくしました	沈ちん黙もくしませんでした
Past	沈ちん黙もくした	沈ちん黙もくしなかった
Te-form	沈ちん黙もくして	沈ちん黙もくしないで
Desire	沈ちん黙もくしたい	沈ちん黙もくしたくない
Potential	沈ちん黙もくできる	沈ちん黙もくできない
Passive	沈ちん黙もくされる	沈ちん黙もくされない
Causative	沈ちん黙もくさせる	沈ちん黙もくさせない
Causative passive	沈ちん黙もくさせられる	沈ちん黙もくさせられない
Volitional	沈ちん黙もくしよう
Polite volitional	沈ちん黙もくしましょう
Imperative	沈ちん黙もくしろ	沈ちん黙もくするな
Conditional	沈ちん黙もくすれば	沈ちん黙もくしなければ
Tara conditional	沈ちん黙もくしたら	沈ちん黙もくしなかったら

Meanings

noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', intransitive verb

silence; quiet; hush

The state or act of being silent; absence of speech or sound. Can be used literally or figuratively.

会かい議ぎ中ちゅう、彼かれは沈ちん黙もくを守まもった。
He kept silent during the meeting.
部屋へやに重おもい沈ちん黙もくが流ながれた。
A heavy silence filled the room.

noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', intransitive verb

reticence; inaction

Deliberate withholding of speech or action; often implies a refusal to comment or engage.

政せい府ふはその問もん題だいについて沈ちん黙もくを続つづけている。
The government continues to remain silent on the issue.
彼かれの沈ちん黙もくは罪つみを認みとめたも同どう然ぜんだった。
His silence was as good as an admission of guilt.

See all 125 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉が沈ちん黙もくするfor someone to fall silent / stay silent
彼かれはその質しつ問もんに対たいして沈ちん黙もくした。
He fell silent in response to that question.
沈ちん黙もくを守まもるto maintain/keep silence
彼かの女じょはその件けんについて沈ちん黙もくを守まもった。
She kept silent about the matter.
重おもい沈ちん黙もくa heavy, oppressive silence
会かい議ぎ室しつに重おもい沈ちん黙もくが広ひろがった。
A heavy silence spread through the meeting room.
沈ちん黙もくが続つづくfor silence to continue
二人ふたりの間あいだに長ながい沈ちん黙もくが続つづいた。
A long silence continued between the two of them.
〈事こと〉について沈ちん黙もくするto remain silent about something
政せい府ふはその問もん題だいについて沈ちん黙もくしている。
The government remains silent on that issue.

Expressions

沈ちん黙もくを破やぶるbreak the silence; break one's silence
沈ちん黙もくの殺さつ人じん者しゃsilent killer
沈ちん黙もくは金きん雄ゆう弁べんは銀ぎんspeech is silver, silence is golden
雄ゆう弁べんは銀ぎん、沈ちん黙もくは金きんspeech is silver, silence is golden

Kanji

沈sink, be submerged, subside
黙silence, become silent, stop speaking

Related words· 7

無む言ごんN1sense 1
無言 emphasizes a person's literal lack of speech, while 沈黙 covers both silence and a deliberate refusal to speak or act.
静せい寂じゃくN1sense 1
静寂 describes a peaceful, ambient quietness of a place or atmosphere, whereas 沈黙 focuses on the absence of speech or sound from people.
黙もく秘ひ sense 2
黙秘 is the deliberate act of withholding testimony or information (e.g. a suspect's right to silence), a narrower legal use of the withholding sense of 沈黙.
黙だまるN3
沈黙 is a formal or literary noun meaning 'silence' as a state, while 黙る is the everyday verb for 'to fall silent'.

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静しずけさ
沈黙 specifically means silence in speech or communication (someone not talking), whereas 静けさ is broader and can describe ambient stillness with no implication of speech.
黙だまり込こむN2
沈黙する is a more formal, often written word for maintaining silence, whereas 黙り込む is a everyday word describing the act of falling into silence.
口くちをつぐむN1
沈黙する is a more formal, abstract way to say 'to be silent,' while 口をつぐむ is an idiomatic, vivid phrase focused on the mouth staying shut.

Opposites· 5

雄ゆう弁べん sense 1
雄弁 means eloquent, fluent speech, the classic opposite of 沈黙's silence, as in the proverb 沈黙は金、雄弁は銀.
騒そう音おんN3sense 1
騒音 is noise or clamor, the literal opposite of the hush described by 沈黙.
発はつ言げんN2
沈黙 means staying silent, the opposite of 発言, which means speaking up or making a statement.

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話はなしN5
沈黙 means silence, the opposite of 話, which refers to speaking or conversation taking place.
しゃべり
沈黙 means silence or staying quiet, the direct opposite of 喋り, which is talking or chatting.

Don't confuse with

沈ちん没ぼつN1
沈没 means 'to sink' (a ship, etc.) and shares the kanji 沈 with 沈黙, but has nothing to do with silence.
暗あん黙もくN1
沈黙 means 'silence' (the act of not speaking), whereas 暗黙 refers to an unspoken but mutually understood rule or agreement; they share the kanji 黙 but differ in meaning.

Word family

沈ちん黙もく交こう易えき
silent trade; dumb barter; depot trade
沈ちん黙もく寡か言げん
taciturn; reticent; of few words

Etymology

Compound of 沈 (chin, 'sink, submerge') and 黙 (moku, 'silence, become quiet'), literally 'sink into silence'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the spelling is conventionally associated with the meaning of deep or heavy silence.