意味不明(いみふめい)

いみふめい
na-adjective, noun
incomprehensible; making no sense
evaluationcommunication
1. incomprehensible; unintelligible; making no sense
Describes something whose meaning cannot be made out — a garbled message, an unreadable scrawl, a rule nobody can explain. Literally 'meaning unclear'.
この文章(ぶんしょう)は意味不明(いみふめい)だ。
This piece of writing is incomprehensible.
意味不明(いみふめい)なメッセージが届(とど)いた。
An unintelligible message arrived.
説明書(せつめいしょ)の日本語(にほんご)が意味不明(いみふめい)で、組(く)み立(た)てられなかった。
The Japanese in the manual made no sense, so I couldn't assemble it.
2. absurd; baffling; ridiculous
In casual speech, an exasperated dismissal of behavior or a decision the speaker finds senseless. Here the complaint is not that the words are unclear but that the thing is stupid, and the word is often thrown out on its own as a one-word reaction.
え、意味不明(いみふめい)なんだけど。
Huh? That makes no sense at all.
そんな理由(りゆう)で断(ことわ)られるなんて意味不明(いみふめい)だ。
Getting turned down for a reason like that is just absurd.
朝(あさ)の会議(かいぎ)のためだけに一時間(いちじかん)早(はや)く来(こ)いというのは意味不明(いみふめい)な指示(しじ)だ。
Telling us to come in an hour early just for a morning meeting is a baffling instruction.

意味(いみ) (meaning) + 不明(ふめい) (unclear). Sense 1 is neutral and works in writing; sense 2 is casual and dismissive, very common among younger speakers and online, where 意味不明(いみふめい) alone serves as a complete reaction.

Common collocations

  • 意味不明(いみふめい)な文章(ぶんしょう): incomprehensible writing
  • 意味不明(いみふめい)な行動(こうどう): baffling behavior
  • 意味不明(いみふめい)なことを言(い)う: to say something that makes no sense
  • 意味不明(いみふめい)すぎる: to make absolutely no sense (casual)

Similar words

  • わけがわからない: incomprehensible — closer to sense 2, and slightly milder
  • 不可解(ふかかい): inexplicable — formal and written; puzzling rather than annoying
  • 理不尽(りふじん): unreasonable; unfair — the complaint is injustice, not senselessness

Related Words

Compare: 不可解(ふかかい) (inexplicable)
Compare: 理不尽(りふじん) (unreasonable)
general
Added 2026.8.31 21:36 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
30500/30788_imifumei