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'

Meanings

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

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'.

Show 3 more

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.

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.