How to say "illiterate" in Japanese

• 無学むがく
  na-adjective, no-adjectiveCovers 'illiterate' in the sense of uneducated or ignorant: it depicts a person lacking schooling or learning, with the inability to read and write following from that broader lack of education.
• 不文ふぶん
  no-adjectiveMatches 'illiterate' via its 'uneducated' sense, but as a less common word it is seldom the one you want for plainly saying a person cannot read or write.

Both translate 'illiterate' as lack of education rather than simple inability to read: 無学 describes an uneducated, ignorant person, while 不文, also less common, is a marginal equivalent seldom the word you want.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 無学むがくuneducated
• 不文ふぶんilliterate