How to say "inhuman" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 非道ひどうna-adjective, no-adjectiveCovers 'inhuman' describing morally outrageous conduct: acts or treatment condemned as unjust and beyond what one person may do to another, as in condemnations of atrocities or inhuman treatment.
- 残酷ざんこくna-adjective, nounReally the word for 'cruel; brutal; ruthless; merciless': use it when English 'inhuman' means heartless cruelty in the treatment of people or animals, not any special sense of its own.
- 無機質むきしつna-adjectiveCovers the impersonal sense of 'inhuman': cold, robotic, lacking human warmth or emotion. Typical of a person's flat manner or a service that feels like dealing with a machine.
Use 非道 for 'inhuman' acts condemned as outrageously unjust, 残酷 for 'inhuman' meaning simply cruel or brutal, and 無機質 for the impersonal, machine-like sense of cold and lacking human warmth.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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