能面(のうめん)

のうめん
noun
Noh mask
culture
1. Noh mask
A carved wooden mask worn by performers in Noh theater. Figuratively, an expressionless face.
能面(のうめん)をつけて舞(ま)う。
To dance wearing a Noh mask.
この能面(のうめん)は江戸(えど)時代(じだい)に作(つく)られた。
This Noh mask was made in the Edo period.
彼女(かのじょ)は能面(のうめん)のような表情(ひょうじょう)で話(はなし)を聞(き)いていた。
She listened to the story with a face as expressionless as a Noh mask.

A carved wooden mask used in 能(のう) (Noh theater). Different mask types represent fixed roles such as young women, old men, and demons.

Common collocations

Cultural note

A skilled Noh actor can make a single mask seem to change emotion by tilting the head, since its carved expression is deliberately neutral. This is why 能面(のうめん)のよう describes a blank, unreadable face.

Related Words

Compare: 能舞台(のうぶたい) (Noh stage)
general
Added 2026.5.18 13:14 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
27500/27782_noumen