不自然

• Reading: ふしぜん
• Romaji: fushizen
• Kanji breakdown: 不 (fu/bu) — not, un-; 自 (ji/shi) — self; 然 (zen/nen) — so, thus, nature
• Pronunciation: /ɸɯ.ɕi.zeɴ/

Meaning

Unnatural; artificial; affected; strained. Describes something that does not seem natural or genuine.

A na-adjective formed by adding the negative prefix 不 (fu) to 自然 (shizen, natural). Takes な before nouns (不自然な笑顔 = forced smile). Used for behaviour, speech, appearance, and situations that feel contrived or awkward. The opposite is 自然 (shizen, natural).

Examples

1. 彼の笑顔はどこか不自然に見えました。 His smile looked somewhat unnatural.
2. 不自然な日本語を使うと伝わりにくいです。 If you use unnatural Japanese, it's hard to get your point across.
3. その説明は少し不自然だと感じました。 I felt that explanation was a little unnatural.

Usage Guide

Context: language learning, social situations, criticism

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Compound of 不 (fu, not/un-) and 自然 (shizen, nature/natural). Literally means not natural — something that deviates from what would occur organically.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal