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根も葉もない (ねもはもない) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

根ねも葉はもない

JLPTN1

Meanings

1

expression, i-adjective

groundless; unfounded; without a shred of truth

Used for rumors, accusations, or stories that have no basis in fact. Literally 'without root or leaf', implying no foundation or evidence.

その噂うわさは根ねも葉はもない話はなしだ。
That rumor is completely groundless.
彼かれの批ひ判はんは根ねも

葉は

も

ない

中ちゅう

傷しょう

だっ

た

。

His criticism was a baseless slander.

Kanji

根root, radical, head (pimple)
葉leaf, plane, lobe

Similar words

事じ実じつ無む根こん
More formal and often used in legal or official contexts to mean 'completely unfounded in fact'. 根も葉もない is more colloquial and vivid.
でたらめ
Means 'nonsense' or 'random', often implying carelessness or lack of logic, while 根も葉もない specifically stresses the absence of any factual basis.

Etymology

An idiomatic expression literally meaning 'without root or leaf', metaphorically extending to something that has no foundation or evidence. The exact origin is uncertain, but it is a natural figurative use of plant imagery.