1.
news; word; communication; sign of life
Contact or communication from someone, especially after a period of silence. Almost always used in the negative — 音沙汰がない (no word from someone) — to describe a lack of contact.
彼から音沙汰がない。
There's been no word from him.
応募してから音沙汰がなくて心配だ。
I haven't heard anything since I applied, and I'm worried.
もう何年も音沙汰のなかった友人から、突然連絡が来た。
A friend I hadn't heard from in years suddenly got in touch.
A compound of 音 (sound) and 沙汰 (news, tidings). Almost exclusively used in the negative pattern 音沙汰がない, meaning 'no word from someone' or 'no sign of life.' Using it in a positive statement is rare and sounds literary.
USAGE:
The most common pattern is 音沙汰がない or 音沙汰のない. It implies waiting or expecting contact that never comes — from a person, a company after a job application, etc. It carries a nuance of worry, frustration, or disappointment.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 音沙汰がない — no word, no news
- 音沙汰のないまま — with no word at all
- しばらく音沙汰がない — haven't heard anything for a while
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 連絡 — contact, communication; the neutral everyday word
- 便り — news, letter; slightly literary, often positive
- 消息 — news of someone, whereabouts; more formal, used about someone's current status