知らん顔
知らん顔する · noun or participle which takes 'suru'
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | 知らん顔する | 知らん顔しない |
| Polite | 知らん顔します | 知らん顔しません |
| Past polite | 知らん顔しました | 知らん顔しませんでした |
| Past | 知らん顔した | 知らん顔しなかった |
| Te-form | 知らん顔して | 知らん顔しないで |
| Desire | 知らん顔したい | 知らん顔したくない |
| Potential | 知らん顔できる | 知らん顔できない |
| Passive | 知らん顔される | 知らん顔されない |
| Causative | 知らん顔させる | 知らん顔させない |
| Causative passive | 知らん顔させられる | 知らん顔させられない |
| Volitional | 知らん顔しよう | |
| Polite volitional | 知らん顔しましょう | |
| Imperative | 知らん顔しろ | 知らん顔するな |
| Conditional | 知らん顔すれば | 知らん顔しなければ |
| Tara conditional | 知らん顔したら | 知らん顔しなかったら |
Meanings
noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', intransitive verb
feigned ignorance; pretending not to know; ignoring
Acting as if one does not know or recognize someone or something, often deliberately. Used in phrases like 知らん顔をする.
He pretended not to recognize me even though he saw me.
Even though someone was in trouble, everyone passed by pretending not to notice.
noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', intransitive verb
unconcerned air; indifference; nonchalance
An attitude of not caring or being indifferent, often shown by a blank or unconcerned expression. Can overlap with sense 1 but emphasizes lack of interest rather than deliberate pretense.
She sat there with an unconcerned look no matter what she was asked.
Even though it's an important matter, he is acting indifferent.
Usage patterns
- 〈人〉に知らん顔をするto act as if one doesn't know/notice someone; to ignore someone
She turned a blind eye to her troubled friend.
- 知らん顔で〈動詞〉to do something with a nonchalant, unconcerned look
He hung up the phone with a completely indifferent look.
- 〈事〉を知らん顔するto pretend not to know about something; to turn a blind eye to it
He pretended not to know about the failure.