蒙もう昧まい

も

う

ま

い

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

Describes a state of lacking knowledge, culture, or enlightenment; often used in formal or literary contexts to criticize backwardness or ignorance.

彼かれの蒙もう昧まいな態たい度どには呆あきれてしまった。
I was appalled by his ignorant attitude.
蒙もう昧まいな社しゃ会かいでは迷めい信しんがはびこる。
Superstitions thrive in an unenlightened society.

See all 8 example sentences ›

Kanji

蒙ignorance, darkness, get
昧dark, foolish

Related words

無む知ち
無知 is a more common and neutral word for ignorance or lack of knowledge, while 蒙昧 carries a stronger literary and judgmental nuance of being uncivilized or unenlightened.
未み開かい
未開 means 'uncivilized' or 'primitive' and often refers to societies or regions, whereas 蒙昧 can describe individuals or mental states as well.

Word family

無む知ち蒙もう昧まい
unenlightened; ignorant; uneducated
蒙もう昧まい主しゅ義ぎ
obscurantism

Written forms

蒙もう昧まいUsage88%
Standard kanji spelling for this word.
もうまいUsage13%

Etymology

The word is composed of 蒙 (もう, 'darkness, ignorance') and 昧 (まい, 'dark, foolish'), both carrying the sense of obscurity or lack of clarity. The combination reinforces the idea of being in the dark mentally or culturally.