Translation guide
How to express the act of deliberately ignoring something or someone by pretending not to see them, in Japanese.
To describe the act of consciously ignoring someone or something by acting as if you haven't seen them.
A common, natural phrase meaning 'to pretend not to see'. Literally 'to do a see-and-not-see pretense'. Used for ignoring people, problems, or uncomfortable situations.
彼は私に気づいたのに、見て見ぬふりをした。
He noticed me but pretended not to see me.
It's not good to pretend not to see someone collapsed on the street.
Literally 'to treat as if one didn't see'. Implies a conscious decision to ignore what was seen, often to avoid involvement or responsibility.
彼のミスは見なかったことにしよう。
Let's pretend we didn't see his mistake.
Means 'to feign ignorance' or 'to pretend not to know/see'. Often used when someone deliberately ignores another person's presence or a situation.
隣の人が挨拶してきたのに、知らんぷりをしてしまった。
Even though my neighbor greeted me, I ended up pretending not to notice.
A slightly more literary or formal expression meaning 'to put on an innocent face' or 'to act as if one knows nothing'. Similar to 知らんぷり but more refined.
彼は自分の失敗について素知らぬ顔をしていた。
He acted as if he knew nothing about his own mistake.
Specifically avoiding eye contact to pretend you haven't seen someone, often in social situations.
Literally 'to avert one's eyes'. Used when you deliberately look away to avoid acknowledging someone.
彼女は気まずくて、私から目をそらした。
She felt awkward and averted her eyes from me.
Means 'to break eye contact' or 'to look away'. Similar to 目をそらす but slightly more neutral.
彼は私と目が合うと、すぐに視線を外した。
As soon as our eyes met, he quickly looked away.
To deliberately ignore something wrong or illegal, often out of convenience or complicity.
Means 'to overlook', 'to turn a blind eye', or 'to let pass'. Often used when someone in authority deliberately ignores a fault.
上司は彼の遅刻を見逃した。
The boss turned a blind eye to his tardiness.
Literally 'to look with big eyes', meaning 'to tolerate' or 'to overlook' something generously. Implies leniency rather than strict pretending.
Formal term meaning 'to tacitly permit' or 'to connive at'. Used for officially ignoring illegal or improper acts.
政府はその汚職を黙認していた。
The government tacitly condoned the corruption.
見て見ぬふりをする emphasizes the act of pretending not to see in the moment, while 見なかったことにする focuses on the decision to treat the event as if it never happened. The latter is often used when you want to consciously erase something from memory or avoid dealing with it.
彼の失礼な態度は見て見ぬふりをしたが、後で注意した。
I pretended not to see his rude behavior at the time, but later I warned him.
彼の失礼な態度は見なかったことにして、話を続けた。
I treated his rude behavior as if I hadn't seen it and continued the conversation.
Avoid directly translating 'pretending not to see' as 見ないふりをする. While understandable, it is less natural than the established phrases above. Use 見て見ぬふりをする or 見なかったことにする instead.
I treated his rude behavior as if I hadn't seen it and continued the conversation.
Avoid directly translating 'pretending not to see' as 見ないふりをする. While understandable, it is less natural than the established phrases above. Use 見て見ぬふりをする or 見なかったことにする instead.
今回だけは大目に見てあげよう。
I'll let it slide just this once.