不明瞭

• Reading: ふめいりょう
• Romaji: fumeiryō
• Kanji breakdown: 不 (fu) — not; 明 (mei) — bright, clear; 瞭 (ryō) — clear, obvious
• Pronunciation: /ɸɯ.me.i.ɾʲo.ɯ/

Meaning

Unclear; indistinct; vague. Something that is difficult to perceive, understand, or interpret clearly.

A na-adjective and noun describing a lack of clarity in various domains: 発音が不明瞭 (pronunciation is unclear), 不明瞭な説明 (a vague explanation), 画像が不明瞭 (an indistinct image). Used for both physical perception (sound, vision) and abstract understanding. More formal than あいまい (ambiguous) and emphasises the difficulty of perceiving rather than intentional vagueness.

Examples

1. 録音状態が悪く音声が不明瞭だった。 The recording quality was poor, making the audio unclear.
2. 契約書の文言が不明瞭で解釈が分かれた。 The wording in the contract was vague, leading to different interpretations.
3. 高齢になると発音が不明瞭になることがある。 As people age, their speech can become indistinct.

Usage Guide

Context: medicine, law, technology

Tone: analytical

Origin & History

From Sino-Japanese: 不 (fu, not) + 明瞭 (meiryō, clear/distinct). 明瞭 combines 明 (bright/clear) and 瞭 (clear/obvious) — the negation creates a state of perceptual or intellectual obscurity.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Educated