村八分(むらはちぶ)

むらはちぶ
noun
ostracism; social exclusion
societyculture
1. ostracism; being shunned by one's community
Originally the shunning of a household by the rest of a village for breaking its rules. Now used for any group cutting someone off socially.
村八分(むらはちぶ)にされる。
To be ostracized.
規則(きそく)を破(やぶ)った家(いえ)は村八分(むらはちぶ)になった。
The family that broke the rules was shunned by the village.
上司(じょうし)に意見(いけん)を言(い)ったせいで、職場(しょくば)で村八分(むらはちぶ)のような扱(あつか)いを受(う)けている。
Because I spoke up to my boss, I'm being frozen out at work.

The common explanation: of the ten occasions when villagers helped each other, the shunned household was cut off from eight and helped only with the other two, a funeral and a fire.

Common collocations

Similar words

Related Words

Compare: 仲間外(なかまはず)れ (being left out)
Compare: 無視(むし) (ignoring someone)
general
Added 2026.10.2 4:37 · Revised 2026.10.2 4:41
31000/31413_murahachibu