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Japanese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "stranger" in Japanese?
見知らぬ人
mishira nu nin
In Japanese, "stranger" is 見知らぬ人 (mishira nu nin).
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Pronunciation
Say mi-shi-ra-nu-nin as five even beats, letting the nu glide softly rather than stressing any one syllable.
Writing and usage
見知らぬ人 is written using kanji. It's a noun, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.
Example sentence
親切な見知らぬ人が駅を見つけるのを手伝ってくれました。
shinsetsu na mishira nu nin ga eki wo mitsu kerunowo tetsudatsu tekuremashita.
A friendly stranger helped me find the station.
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How to remember 見知らぬ人
A MISER-a-nu person you don't know yet -- 'mishiranu' sounds like a mystery figure hiding in a coat, unknown to you.
Related words
- grandfather 祖父 sofu
- grandmother 祖母 sobo
- uncle おじさん ojisan
- aunt おばさん obasan
- nephew 甥 oi
- niece 姪 mei
- cousin いとこ itoko
- stepfather 継父 mamachichi
- stepmother 継母 mamahaha
Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.
Questions about 見知らぬ人
How do you pronounce 見知らぬ人?
Say mi-shi-ra-nu-nin as five even beats, letting the nu glide softly rather than stressing any one syllable.
Is 見知らぬ人 formal or casual?
見知らぬ人 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.
How is 見知らぬ人 written in Japanese?
見知らぬ人 is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as mishira nu nin.
Where can I practice Japanese words for free?
You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.
"Stranger" in other languages
Curated by Callan Ratcliffe
This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.
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