Translation guide
How to express 'close one's eyes' in Japanese, covering literal eye-closing, turning a blind eye, and idiomatic uses.
To shut your eyelids.
The most common and neutral way to say 'close one's eyes'. Used in everyday speech and writing.
彼はゆっくりと目を閉じた。
He slowly closed his eyes.
Close your eyes and relax.
Also means 'close one's eyes', often with a nuance of squeezing them shut or deliberately closing them. Slightly more casual than 目を閉じる.
怖くて目をつぶった。
I was scared and closed my eyes.
A single verb meaning 'to close one's eyes'. Often used in the phrase 目をつぶる. Can sound literary or emphatic when used alone.
彼女はそっと瞑った。
She gently closed her eyes.
To ignore something wrong or pretend not to notice.
Literally 'pretend to see and not see'. The most natural way to say 'turn a blind eye' to wrongdoing.
彼は不正を見て見ぬふりをした。
He turned a blind eye to the injustice.
Can also mean 'turn a blind eye' or 'overlook' in a figurative sense. Often used when someone consciously ignores a fault.
今回は君の失敗に目をつぶってあげる。
I'll turn a blind eye to your mistake this time.
Means 'to overlook' or 'to be lenient'. Similar to turning a blind eye but with a nuance of forgiveness or tolerance.
To deliberately ignore an unpleasant fact or reality.
Literally 'avert one's eyes'. Used figuratively to mean 'refuse to face' a harsh truth.
彼は現実から目を背けた。
He closed his eyes to reality.
Literally 'shut one's eyes'. Implies a stronger, more willful refusal to see or acknowledge something.
彼女は真実に目を閉ざした。
She closed her eyes to the truth.
To die peacefully.
A poetic euphemism for dying, similar to 'close one's eyes forever'.
彼は安らかに永遠の眠りについた。
He peacefully closed his eyes forever.
Both mean 'close one's eyes'. 目を閉じる is neutral and can be used in any context. 目をつぶる often implies a deliberate, tighter closing, and is more common in casual speech. 目をつぶる also has the figurative meaning 'turn a blind eye'.
目を閉じて深呼吸した。
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
子供は怖がって目をつぶった。
The child closed his eyes tightly in fear.
初めてだから大目に見てください。
Please overlook it since it's my first time.