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行方不明 (yukuefumei) Japanese meaning: missing | Kotomora
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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.
His missing wallet was finally found.
Usage patterns 〈 人ひと〉 〉 が 行方不明ゆくえふめい になる for someone to go missing
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)
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
The police are searching for the boy as a missing person.
Kanji 行 going, journey, carry out 方 direction, person, alternative Related words 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 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.
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.
