素知らぬ

• Reading: そしらぬ
• Romaji: soshiranu
• Kanji breakdown: 素 (so/moto) — plain, bare, utterly; 知 (shi/chi) — know, knowledge
• Pronunciation: /so.ɕi.ɾa.nɯ/

Meaning

Feigning ignorance; pretending not to know; acting as if completely unaware. Used to describe a deliberately false show of innocence.

A prenominal expression (used before nouns only, not predicatively) that describes the act of deliberately pretending not to know something. It almost always appears in fixed phrases 素知らぬ顔 (acting innocent; wearing a feigned look of innocence) and 素知らぬふり (feigning ignorance). The prefix 素 adds the nuance of 'utterly/completely,' making it more emphatic than simply 知らないふり. Common in literary prose and formal narration; somewhat elevated in everyday speech.

Examples

1. 全てを知っているはずなのに、彼は素知らぬ顔で挨拶してきた。 Despite surely knowing everything, he greeted me with a perfectly innocent expression.
2. 部下のミスを見て見ぬふりし、素知らぬふりを通す上司に誰もが呆れた。 Everyone was exasperated by the superior who turned a blind eye to a subordinate's mistake and maintained a feigned look of ignorance.
3. 証拠を突きつけられてもなお素知らぬ態度を崩さないのは相当な胆力だ。 To keep up an air of complete innocence even when confronted with evidence takes quite considerable nerve.

Usage Guide

Context: deception, interpersonal relations, literature, workplace

Tone: negative

Origin & History

Compound of 素 (so, plain/bare/completely) and 知らぬ (shiranu, the classical negative of 知る, to know). The 素 prefix is an intensifier meaning 'completely,' making the expression signify 'acting as if one knows absolutely nothing.' The classical negative ぬ (rather than modern ない) gives the phrase a literary register.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical–Modern

Generation: Adults

Social background: Universal