呆然

• 読み: ぼうぜん
• ローマ字: bōzen
• 漢字の分解: 呆 (bō) — dumbfounded, amazed; 然 (zen) — state, appearance, -like
• 発音: /bo.ɯ.zeɴ/

意味

Dumbfounded; stunned; in blank amazement. A state of being so shocked that one cannot think or react.

An adjectival noun used with と to form the adverb 呆然と: 呆然と立ち尽くす (stand dumbfounded). Describes being so overwhelmed by shock that the mind goes blank and the body freezes. Stronger than 驚く (odoroku, to be surprised) — 呆然 implies temporary paralysis from the sheer magnitude of the shock. Also written as 茫然.

例文

1. 事故の現場を見て呆然とした。
2. 突然の知らせに呆然と立ち尽くした。
3. 全財産を失い呆然としている。

使い方ガイド

場面: narrative, news, literature

トーン: dramatic

起源と歴史

From Sino-Japanese: 呆 (bō, be amazed/dumbfounded) + 然 (zen, appearance/state). The kanji 呆 depicts a mouth open in shock, while 然 indicates a state of being — together, the state of being struck dumb with amazement.

文化的背景

時代: Pre-modern

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal