How to say "innocence" in Japanese

• 無罪むざいCommon
  no-adjectiveInnocence in the legal sense: being not guilty of a crime, as when a court acquits a defendant. This is the word for innocence as a verdict or charge, not for childlike purity.
  われわれは彼かれが無罪むざいであると考かんがえている。↗

  We hold that he is not guilty.
• 無心むしんCommon
  no-adjective, na-adjectiveInnocence as a quality of the heart: the artless, guileless purity of a child or an unscheming mind. It has nothing to do with guilt or charges; think pure-hearted rather than acquitted.
• 無実むじつCommon
  no-adjectiveFactual innocence in the face of an accusation: the person truly did not do the deed. Its link to false accusation and false charges makes it the word for someone wrongly charged.
  私わたしたちは彼かれが無実むじつであると信しんじていた。↗

  We believed him to be innocent.
• 無知むちJLPT N1approx.Common
  noun, na-adjectiveMainly means ignorance, a lack of knowledge or sense, and its 'innocence' is only the naivety that comes from not knowing. Rarely the word you want for innocence in the guilt or purity senses.
  彼かれはすぐに無知むちをさらけ出だした。↗

  He soon betrayed his ignorance.
• 潔白けっぱくCommon
  noun, na-adjectiveInnocence as freedom from suspicion or blame: being clean of a charge or wrongdoing, with an overtone of moral purity. Typical contexts are clearing one's name or establishing that someone is blameless.
  私は彼かれが潔白けっぱくだと断言だんげんした。↗

  I affirmed that he was innocent.

For legal innocence use 無罪; for innocence under accusation use 無実 or 潔白; 無心 is childlike guilelessness, while 無知 mainly means ignorance and only marginally suggests naivety.

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

• 無罪むざいinnocence
• 無心むしんinnocence
• 無実むじつinnocence
• 無知むちignorance
• 潔白けっぱくinnocence
• 純情じゅんじょうpure heart
• 清純せいじゅんpurity
• イノセンスinnocence
• 白しろinnocence