1.
ordinary person; average person; mediocre person
A person of average ability with no outstanding talents. Can be used self-deprecatingly or to contrast with exceptional people.
私はただの凡人です。
I'm just an ordinary person.
凡人には理解できない世界がある。
There are worlds that ordinary people cannot understand.
天才と凡人の差は努力の量だと言う人もいる。
Some say the difference between a genius and an ordinary person is the amount of effort.
USAGE:
Often used in a self-deprecating way (凡人ですから) or to highlight the gap between talented people and everyone else. Not inherently negative — it can simply mean someone without special distinction.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- ただの凡人 (just an ordinary person)
- 凡人には無理 (impossible for ordinary people)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 秀才: prodigy — the opposite end of the spectrum
- 天才: genius — even further from 凡人
- 一般人: ordinary person — more neutral, focuses on being a member of the general public rather than on ability