さあらぬ

さ

あ

ら

ぬ

Meanings

pre-noun adjectival

usually written using kana alone

Pre-noun adjectival (rentaishi) describing a person's demeanor or expression as unconcerned, unruffled, or as if nothing is wrong. Often used in phrases like さあらぬ体, さあらぬ顔, or さあらぬようす.

彼かれはさあらぬ顔かおで嘘うそをついた。
He told a lie with a nonchalant look on his face.
さあらぬ体ていを装よそおって、彼かの女じょは部屋へやを出でていった。
Pretending to be indifferent, she left the room.

Kanji

然sort of thing, so, if so
有possess, have, exist

Related words

平へい然ぜん
平然 is more about being calm and composed, often in the face of something that would normally cause agitation. さあらぬ emphasizes a deliberate pretense of indifference or casualness.
何なに食くわぬ
何食わぬ顔 means 'as if nothing happened' and is very similar in usage. さあらぬ is slightly more literary and less common in modern speech.

Built from

然さ+あらぬ

Written forms

然さ有あらぬ
Kanji form using 然; rare and literary. This is a possible kanji spelling.
然さあらぬ
Mixed kanji-kana form; rare and literary. This is a possible kanji spelling.

Etymology

Derived from the classical Japanese phrase 然にあらぬ (sa ni aranu), literally 'not being so', which evolved into a fixed pre-noun adjectival meaning 'as if it were not so' or 'pretending nothing is the matter'.