判然(はんぜん)

はんぜん
adverb
clearly; distinctly
formalwrittendescriptive
1. clearly; distinctly; definitely
Used to describe something that is clear, obvious, or unmistakable. Almost always appears in the negative form 判然としない (not clear, unclear), which is far more common than the affirmative.
原因(げんいん)は判然(はんぜん)としない。
The cause is unclear.
事実(じじつ)は判然(はんぜん)としている。
The facts are clear.
詳(くわ)しい経緯(けいい)は判然(はんぜん)としないが、何(なに)かトラブルがあったようだ。
The detailed circumstances are unclear, but it seems there was some trouble.

判然(はんぜん) is almost always used with とする/としない. The negative form 判然(はんぜん)としない (unclear) is much more frequent than the affirmative. This is a formal, written-register word.

Common patterns

  • 判然(はんぜん)としない — unclear, not definite
  • 判然(はんぜん)としている — clear, definite
  • 判然(はんぜん)としなかった — was unclear

Related words

Related Words

Synonym: 明確(めいかく) (clear, definite)
Antonym: 曖昧(あいまい) (vague, ambiguous)
Related: 不明(ふめい) (unknown, unclear)
general
Added 2026.3.22 11:28 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
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