うんちく

う

ん

ち

く

Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

noun

vast knowledge; deep erudition; store of expertise

usually written using kana alone

Often used when someone shows off or shares detailed knowledge on a niche topic. Can carry a slightly pedantic or enthusiastic tone.

彼かれは歴れき史しについてうんちくを語かたり始はじめた。
He started sharing his vast knowledge about history.
うんちくを傾かたむけるのが彼かれの趣しゅ味みだ。
Showing off his extensive knowledge is his hobby.

See all 5 example sentences ›

Expressions

蘊うん蓄ちくを傾かたむけるdraw upon one's profound knowledge; expound one's expertise

Kanji

蘊pile up
蓄amass, raise, hoard
薀pile up, store, hornwort

Don't confuse with

含がん蓄ちく
蘊蓄 refers to a person's accumulated knowledge or erudition, while 含蓄 refers to the implicit depth of meaning within words themselves, and the two are often confused because they share the kanji 蓄.

Written forms

うんちくUsage30%
Usually written in kana; the kanji forms 蘊蓄 and 薀蓄 are rare and may not be recognized by all readers.
ウンチクUsage30%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling sometimes used for emphasis or in casual writing.
薀うん蓄ちくUsage24%
Variant kanji form using 薀 (a variant of 蘊). Even rarer than 蘊蓄.
蘊うん蓄ちくUsage15%
Original kanji form, now uncommon. 蘊 means 'accumulate' and 蓄 means 'store up'.
うん蓄ちくUsage2%
search-only kanji form
Search-only mixed kanji-kana form; not a standard spelling.

Etymology

From Chinese 蘊蓄 (yùnxù), meaning 'to accumulate and store'. The Japanese reading うんちく is the on'yomi. The word originally referred to storing up knowledge, and later came to mean the deep knowledge itself.