凡 人(ぼんじん)

ぼんじん

noun

ordinary person; mediocre person

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(わたし)はただの凡人(ぼんじん)です。

I'm just an ordinary person.

凡人(ぼんじん)には理解(りかい)できない世界(せかい)がある。

There are worlds that ordinary people cannot understand.

天才(てんさい)と凡人(ぼんじん)の差(さ)は努力(どりょく)の量(りょう)だと言(い)う人(ひと)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(ぼんじん)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(ぼんじん) (just an ordinary person)
凡人(ぼんじん)には無理(むり) (impossible for ordinary people)

Similar words

秀才(しゅうさい): prodigy — the opposite end of the spectrum
天才(てんさい): genius — even further from 凡人(ぼんじん)
一般人(いっぱんじん): ordinary person — more neutral, focuses on being a member of the general public rather than on ability

Related Words

Antonym: 秀才(しゅうさい) (prodigy)

Antonym: 天才(てんさい) (genius)

Compare: 一般人(いっぱんじん) (ordinary person)

general

Added 2026.3.21 18:05 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01

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