愚民

• Reading: ぐみん
• Romaji: gumin
• Kanji breakdown: 愚 (gu) — foolish, ignorant; 民 (min) — people, citizens
• Pronunciation: /ɡɯ.miɴ/

Meaning

Ignorant masses; uneducated people. A derogatory term for people regarded as lacking education or political awareness.

A strongly pejorative expression used by those in power — or critics mocking those in power — to describe the general populace as passive, uninformed, and easily manipulated. The compound 愚民政策 (gumin seisaku) refers to a policy of deliberately keeping the populace ignorant to maintain control. Usage today often appears in ironic or critical contexts.

Examples

1. 独裁政権は愚民政策によって国民の批判的思考を長年にわたり抑圧した。 The authoritarian regime used a policy of keeping the populace ignorant to suppress critical thinking among citizens for many years.
2. 情報を隠蔽して愚民を作り出すことは、支配者の常套手段だと歴史は証明している。 History has proven that concealing information to create an uninformed populace is a standard tool of those in power.
3. 彼のような知識人が愚民という言葉を使うこと自体、エリート主義の表れだと批判された。 An intellectual like him using the word 'ignorant masses' was itself criticised as a manifestation of elitism.

Usage Guide

Context: politics, history, social critique, academic

Tone: negative

Origin & History

Sino-Japanese compound of 愚 (gu, foolish, ignorant) and 民 (min, people, citizens). The term has classical Chinese origins and was adopted into Japanese political vocabulary, particularly during periods of authoritarian rule.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical–Modern

Generation: Adults

Social background: Educated