How to say "vain" in Japanese

• 徒あだCommon
  na-adjective, nounVain as futile or pointless: effort or action that comes to nothing for no gain. It also shades into transient and frivolous, so context decides which nuance is meant.
• 無益むえきCommon
  na-adjective, no-adjectiveVain as useless or futile: an action or effort that brings no benefit or serves no purpose. The emphasis falls on the lack of practical value rather than on any feeling of emptiness.
  自分じぶんが生いきている世界せかいとの共感きょうかんがなければ、作家さっかであることは無益むえきである。↗

  It is no use being a writer if one is not in sympathy with the world in which one is living.
• はかないJLPT N1approx.Common
  i-adjectiveReally about fleetingness: dreams, hopes, or lives that are transient and short-lived. It touches vain only through that sense of things coming to nothing; for plain futility it is seldom the word you want.
  人生じんせいは儚はかないよ、と人ひとは言ゆう。↗

  People say that life is short.
• 味気ないあじけないCommon
  i-adjectiveSeldom the word you want for vain: it really describes things as dull, insipid, or wearisome, lacking flavor or interest. Reach for it when the feeling is tedium or blandness, not futility.
  趣味しゅみがないと生活せいかつがあじけないものになるかもしれない。↗

  If one does not have a hobby, his life may be desolate.
• 虚しいむなしいJLPT N1approx.Common
  i-adjectiveThe central word for vain as fruitless or futile: effort, struggle, or hope that proves ineffective and leaves a sense of emptiness. Fits a vain attempt or resistance that comes to nothing.
  彼かれは多おおくの日々ひびをむなしく過すごさなければならなかった。↗

  He had to spend many barren days.

For vain as futile or fruitless, 「虚しい」 is the core choice, with 無益 stressing uselessness and 徒 pointlessness; 「はかない」 adds a fleeting, transient feel, while 「味気ない」 is really about dullness; none covers the conceited sense.

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

• 徒あだvain
• 無益むえきuseless
• はかないfleeting
• 味気ないあじけないwearisome
• いたずらuseless
• 虚しいむなしいvain