未曾有

• 読み: みぞう
• ローマ字: mizō
• 漢字の分解: 未 (mi) — not yet; 曾 (so) — ever (classical); 有 (yū/u) — to exist
• 発音: /mi.zoː/

意味

Unprecedented; unheard of; something that has never occurred before. Describes an event or situation of extraordinary, one-of-a-kind magnitude.

A na-adjective used to describe disasters, achievements, or historical events of exceptional scale or nature. Standard collocations include 未曾有の事態 ('unprecedented situation') and 未曾有の規模 ('unprecedented scale'). The word gained widespread public recognition in Japan following the description of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake disaster.

例文

1. 未曾有の大災害が東北地方を襲った。
2. その発見は科学史上未曾有の成果と称えられた。
3. 国は未曾有の経済危機に直面していた。

使い方ガイド

場面: journalism, history, academic writing, politics

トーン: dramatic

起源と歴史

From 未 (mi, 'not yet'), 曾 (so, an archaic word meaning 'ever'), and 有 (yū/u, 'to exist'). The literal meaning is 'that which has never yet existed,' denoting absolute novelty.

文化的背景

時代: Classical

世代: Adults

社会的背景: Educated