ミュート
Meaning: To mute someone on social media — hiding their posts from your timeline without unfollowing or blocking them.
ミュート (from English 'mute') is a softer alternative to blocking. When you ミュート someone, they do not know they have been muted — their posts simply stop appearing in your feed. This is often used for acquaintances whose posts are annoying but who you cannot block without social consequences. In Japanese internet culture, ミュート is seen as a diplomatic solution — you maintain the surface-level connection while protecting your mental health. ミュートワード (mute words) to filter out specific topics is also common.
Examples
- 政治の話ばっかりだからミュートした。 整天发政治内容,屏蔽了。Solo publicaba de política, así que lo silencié.정치 얘기만 해서 뮤트했어.
- ミュートしてるのバレたらまずいかな。 被发现屏蔽了的话会不会尴尬啊。¿Será problemático si se entera de que le he silenciado?뮤트한 거 들키면 곤란하려나.
- ネタバレ防止でキーワードミュートしてる。 为了防剧透设置了关键词屏蔽。Tengo silenciadas ciertas palabras clave para evitar spoilers.스포일러 방지로 키워드 뮤트하고 있어.
Pronunciation
/mjuː.to/
Usage Guide
Context: social media, Twitter/X, online discussion
Tone: neutral, diplomatic
✓ Do Say
- ブロックまではしないけどミュートはしてる。 (I won't go as far as blocking, but I've got them muted.)还不至于拉黑,但确实屏蔽了。No llego a bloquearlo, pero sí lo tengo silenciado.차단까지는 안 하는데 뮤트는 하고 있어. (차단할 정도는 아닌데 뮤트는 해 놨어.)
- ミュートワード設定しておくと快適。 (Setting up mute words makes your timeline much more comfortable.)设置好屏蔽关键词,刷信息流就舒服多了。Configurar palabras silenciadas hace que tu línea de tiempo sea mucho más agradable.뮤트 워드 설정해 두면 편해. (뮤트 키워드 설정하면 타임라인이 훨씬 쾌적해져.)
✗ Don't Say
- 本人の前で「ミュートしてる」と言う (Don't tell someone to their face that you've muted them)不要当面告诉别人你屏蔽了他们No le digas a alguien a la cara que lo tienes silenciado.본인 앞에서 '뮤트하고 있어'라고 말하지 마 (상대 앞에서 뮤트했다고 말하지 마)
Common Mistakes
- Thinking ミュート and ブロック are the same — muting is invisible to the other person, blocking is not
- Not knowing ミュートワード (mute words) as a feature to filter specific topics from your timeline
Origin & History
From English 'mute.' Became common in Japanese social media vocabulary as platforms like Twitter introduced mute features in the mid-2010s. Preferred over blocking for its diplomatic subtlety.
Cultural Context
Era: Mid-2010s, with Twitter mute feature
Generation: All ages
Social background: Universal
Regional notes: Used across Japan. Particularly valued in Japanese social media culture where avoiding direct confrontation is preferred.
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