理不尽

• 読み: りふじん
• ローマ字: rifujin
• 漢字の分解: 理 (ri) — principle, reason | 不 (fu) — negation | 尽 (jin) — exhaust, penetrate thoroughly
• 発音: /ɾi.ɸɯ.dʑiɴ/

意味

Unreasonable; irrational; absurd; unjust. Describes situations or demands that violate logic, fairness, or basic decency.

A na-adjective now extremely common in contemporary Japanese. 理不尽 originally meant 'not penetrating to the principle' — failing to apply reasoned argument — but now expresses the frustration of being subjected to arbitrary, unjust, or irrational treatment. It is a go-to word for expressing grievances in workplace culture, social media commentary, and any context involving institutional or interpersonal injustice.

例文

1. 上司の理不尽な指示に従い続けることで、社員のモチベーションが下がっていった。
2. 試合の判定が理不尽に感じられても、選手はルールに従うほかない。
3. 理不尽な批判を受けた後も、彼女は冷静を保ち反論を準備した。

使い方ガイド

場面: workplace complaints, social commentary, sports, social media

トーン: indignant

起源と歴史

Compound of 理 (ri — principle, reason), 不 (fu — not, un-), and 尽 (jin — to exhaust, to penetrate thoroughly). The classical sense was 'not exhausting reason/principle' — failing to reason through something properly.

文化的背景

時代: Modern

世代: All ages

社会的背景: General