行方ゆくえ不ふ明めい

ゆ

く

え

ふ

め

い

Common wordJLPTN3

Meanings

noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', noun

missing; unaccounted for; whereabouts unknown

Primarily used for people whose location is unknown, often in serious contexts such as disasters, accidents, or disappearances. Can also be used for objects in formal or official language.

地じ震しんの後あと、多おおくの人ひとが行方ゆくえ不ふ明めいになっている。
After the earthquake, many people are missing.
彼かれの行方ゆくえ不ふ明めいの財さい布ふがようやく見みつかった。
His missing wallet was finally found.

See all 65 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉〉が行方不明ゆくえふめいになるfor someone to go missing
地じ震しんの後あと、多おおくの人ひとが行方ゆくえ不ふ明めいになった。
After the earthquake, many people went missing.
行方不明ゆくえふめいのままremaining missing (with no news)
彼かれは10年ねん前まえから行方ゆくえ不ふ明めいのままだ。
He has remained missing since ten years ago.
〈人ひと〉〉を行方不明者ゆくえふめいしゃとして捜さがすto search for someone as a missing person
警けい察さつは少しょう年ねんを行方ゆくえ不ふ明めい者しゃとして捜さがしている。
The police are searching for the boy as a missing person.

Kanji

行going, journey, carry out
方direction, person, alternative
不negative, non-, bad
明bright, light

Related words

失しっ踪そう
失踪 implies a deliberate disappearance or running away, while 行方不明 is a neutral term for someone whose whereabouts are unknown regardless of intent.
不ふ明めいN2
不明 means 'unknown' or 'unclear' in a broad sense, while 行方不明 specifically refers to a person or thing being missing or unaccounted for.

Don't confuse with

迷子まいごN3
迷子 refers to a child or person who has simply gotten lost and is usually found quickly, whereas 行方不明 describes a more serious, often prolonged or official, state of being missing.

Built from

行方ゆくえ+不ふ明めい

Etymology

Compound of 行方 (whereabouts) and 不明 (unknown). The exact historical derivation is straightforward; the term has been used in modern Japanese to describe missing persons and lost items.