1.
correspondence; word; news (from someone)
Communication or contact from a person, especially letters or messages that indicate someone is alive and well.
彼とは音信不通になった。
I lost all contact with him.
長い間音信がなかった友人から手紙が届いた。
A letter arrived from a friend I hadn't heard from in a long time.
海外に引っ越してからは音信が途絶えてしまった。
After moving overseas, all communication was cut off.
Most commonly encountered in the set expression 音信不通 (losing all contact with someone). The word itself means news or communication from a person, but it is used almost exclusively in negative or loss-of-contact contexts.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 音信不通: loss of contact; no word from someone
- 音信が途絶える: for communication to be cut off
- 音信がない: to have no word/contact
USAGE NOTE:
Also read as いんしん in some contexts, though おんしん is the standard modern reading. The expression 音信不��� is by far the most common usage — learners should prioritize this four-character compound.
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 連絡: contact/communication — the everyday word for staying in touch
- 便り: news/letter from someone — similar meaning but more literary