空そら言ごと

also: くうげん · むなこと

そ

ら

ご

と

Meanings

Refers to something said that is not true; a deliberate falsehood. The reading そらごと is the most common modern form. The reading くうげん is rare and often appears in Buddhist or classical texts. The reading むなこと is archaic.

Kanji

空empty, sky, void
言say, word
虚void, emptiness, unpreparedness

Related words

嘘うそ
嘘 is the most common everyday word for 'lie'. 空言 is more literary and less frequent.
虚きょ言げん
虚言 read きょげん is a near-synonym, also meaning 'falsehood', but is more formal and often used in written language.

Written forms

空言Usage100%
- そらごと
  Standard kanji spelling for the common reading そらごと.
- くうげん
  Rare reading restricted to the 空言 spelling; mainly in Buddhist or classical contexts.
- むなこと
虚言
- そらごと
  Alternate kanji spelling; also read きょげん with a similar meaning.
- むなこと
むなこと
Rare kana-only spelling for the reading むなこと; archaic or dialectal.
くうげん

Etymology

Compound of 空 (sora, 'empty, sky') + 言 (koto, 'word, speech'), with rendaku voicing to goto. The literal meaning is 'empty words', i.e., words without substance.