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).
He's tone-deaf, so he hates going to karaoke.
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).
I have no sense of direction and get lost easily.
My father is hopeless with machines and struggles even with smartphone operation.
She overcame her tone-deafness by taking many lessons.
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.
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.