1.
stranger; unfamiliar person
A person one does not know or has never met. The classical negative form ぬ gives the expression a slightly literary quality.
見知らぬ人に声をかけられた。
A stranger spoke to me.
見知らぬ人についていってはいけません。
You must not follow strangers.
電車の中で見知らぬ人に親切にしてもらった。
A stranger was kind to me on the train.
Uses the classical negative auxiliary ぬ (attached to the verb 見知る, "to know by sight"), which is preserved as a fixed expression in modern Japanese. Sounds slightly more literary or formal than 知らない人.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 見知らぬ人に声をかけられる: to be spoken to by a stranger
- 見知らぬ土地: unfamiliar land
- 見知らぬ顔: an unfamiliar face
- 見知らぬ番号: an unknown number
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 知らない人: someone you don't know — the everyday, conversational equivalent
- 他人: other person; stranger — emphasizes social distance or non-relation
- 赤の他人: a complete stranger — emphatic form stressing total lack of connection