Translation guide
Describes something that lacks meaning, purpose, or significance. Can refer to words, actions, or life itself. Japanese expressions vary by nuance: emptiness, pointlessness, or logical meaninglessness.
To say that something has no meaning, is empty, or without significance.
The most direct and common translation. Used for actions, words, or things that are meaningless or pointless.
そんなことをしても無意味だ。
Doing that is meaningless.
彼の言葉は無意味に感じた。
His words felt meaningless.
A common phrase meaning 'there is no meaning/point'. Slightly more conversational than 無意味.
この議論は意味がない。
This argument is meaningless.
Emphasizes emptiness or hollowness, often used for feelings, words, or existence.
空虚な人生
a meaningless life
To express that an action or effort is futile, useless, or without purpose.
To describe words, statements, or ideas that are logically meaningless, absurd, or make no sense.
A loanword from English 'nonsense'. Used for absurd or meaningless statements.
それはナンセンスだ。
That's meaningless.
Also covers logical meaninglessness, especially in formal contexts.
To describe a feeling that life or existence is meaningless, empty, or without purpose.
Refers to nothingness, nihilism, or a sense of existential emptiness.
人生の虚無を感じる。
I feel the meaninglessness of life.
An adjective meaning 'empty', 'vain', or 'futile', often used for feelings of emptiness.
無意味 (muimi) means 'meaningless' in the sense of lacking significance or sense. 無駄 (muda) means 'useless' or 'futile', focusing on wasted effort or resources. Use 無意味 for abstract meaninglessness and 無駄 for practical pointlessness.
Avoid directly translating 'meaningless' as 意味がない in all contexts. For existential emptiness, 虚無 or 空しい may be more natural. For futile actions, 無駄 is often better.
His attempt ended in meaningless effort.
The sentence is grammatically correct but meaningless.
Describes speech or writing that is incoherent, disjointed, and meaningless.
彼の説明は支離滅裂だった。
His explanation was meaningless (incoherent).
空しい気持ち
a meaningless feeling