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見知らぬ (みしらぬ, mishiranu) Japanese meaning: strange | Kotomora
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関かん
に
立た
っ
て
い
た
。
A stranger was standing at the front door.
He got lost in an unfamiliar town.
Usage patterns 見み 知し らぬ 人ひと a stranger; a person one has never seen before
A stranger asked me for directions.
見み 知し らぬ 土と 地ち an unfamiliar place or land
I started living alone in an unfamiliar place.
見み 知し らぬ 顔かお an unfamiliar face
There was an unfamiliar face in the classroom.
Related words 知らない is a general word for 'not knowing' facts, people, or information, while 見知らぬ specifically means 'never seen before' and only modifies nouns.
未知 is a noun for 'the unknown' in an abstract or scientific sense, while 見知らぬ is a pre-noun adjective describing something concrete one has never seen before.
見知らぬ is a plain prenominal adjective meaning 'unfamiliar' and needs no の, while 見ず知らずの is a set phrase used with の to modify a noun, often with a stronger emphasis on total unfamiliarity.
Etymology Compound of 見 (mi, 'see') + 知らぬ (shiranu, classical negative of 知る 'know'). Literally 'not know by seeing', it fossilized as a pre-noun adjectival.
