JLPT N1 · な-adjective

無能 (munou)

無能 (むのう, munou) is a Japanese な-adjective meaning “incompetence; inefficiency”. It appears in JLPT N1 vocabulary lists and is marked as a common word in JMdict.

Reading: むのう
Romaji: munou
Word class: な-adjective
Level: JLPT N1 (unofficial)

Meaning

incompetence; inefficiency; inability; incapacity · noun, な-adjective, noun taking の
incompetent person · noun

Example sentences

あらゆる芸術評論家達は無能であり危険な存在である。

Regard all art critics as useless and dangerous.

Tatoeba #230037

Sentences from the Tatoeba project, linked to this word in JMdict.

Conjugation of 無能

な-adjective. Plain and polite forms below; try any other word in the Japanese verb conjugator.

Form	Japanese	Reading
Present (plain)	無能だ	むのうだ munouda
Present (polite)	無能です	むのうです munoudesu
Negative	無能じゃない	むのうじゃない munoujanai
Past	無能だった	むのうだった munoudatta
Negative past	無能じゃなかった	むのうじゃなかった munoujanakatta
Te-form	無能で	むのうで munoude
Before a noun	無能な	むのうな munouna
Adverb (~ni)	無能に	むのうに munouni

Kanji in 無能

無

nothingness, none, ain'tム・ブ・な.い · 12 strokes

能

ability, talent, skillノウ・よ.く・あた.う · 10 strokes

Related words

Other vocabulary sharing a kanji with 無能.

無くすなくすto lose (something)無理むりunreasonable無くなるなくなるto be lost (e.g. luggage)無むnothing有無うむexistence or nonexistence無視むしdisregarding無駄むだfutility無料むりょうfree (of charge)無しなしwithout無事ぶじsafety無ぶun-無限むげんinfinity無地むじplain無数むすうinnumerable

Source: JMdict entry 1530780 (EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0). Level: unofficial JLPT list – how levels are assigned.