noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', na-adjective
tone deafness; amusia; having no ear for music
Refers to the inability to perceive or reproduce musical pitch accurately. Can be used as a noun or adjectivally (音痴な人, 音痴の).
彼は音痴だから、カラオケに行くのを嫌がる。
He's tone-deaf, so he hates going to karaoke.
She overcame her tone-deafness by taking many lessons.
音痴な人でも楽しめる音楽ゲームがある。
There are music games that even tone-deaf people can enjoy.
having no sense of; being hopeless at; -illiterate
Suffix attached to nouns indicating a lack of skill, sense, or aptitude in that area. Common examples: 方向音痴 (no sense of direction), 機械音痴 (hopeless with machines), 運動音痴 (athletically challenged).
私は方向音痴で、すぐ道に迷ってしまう。
I have no sense of direction and get lost easily.
父は機械音痴で、スマホの操作も苦手だ。
My father is hopeless with machines and struggles even with smartphone operation.
He has no sense of direction and always gets lost.
As a suffix, 音痴 (e.g. 機械音痴) means 'hopeless at' a specific area, while 不得意 is the general word for being poor at any skill or subject.
音痴 alone means 'tone-deaf' (no ear for music), while 方向音痴 borrows that idea to mean 'no sense of direction', so the two should not be confused as being about the same skill.
unsophisticated palate; inability to discern good and bad flavors
having no sense of taste; taste-blind
no sense of direction; poor sense of direction
mechanical ineptitude; being hopeless with machines
physically clumsy; nonathletic; having poor motor skills
Standard kanji spelling; high-frequency news and spec priority.
Kana spelling is common in casual writing, especially for the extended suffix sense.
Compound of 音 (sound, music) and 痴 (foolish, stupid). The suffix usage extends the idea of 'tone-deaf' metaphorically to other domains.