dull, slow, foolish, blunt

About this kanji

The kanji 鈍 represents the idea of being dull, slow, or blunt. It is often used as an adjective, particularly in the form of the word 鈍い (にぶい), which describes something that is dull, like a knife. You’ll also find it in nouns such as 鈍感 (どんかん), meaning thickheaded or insensitive, and 鈍化 (どんか), which refers to the process of becoming duller or slower, often used in contexts like skills or reactions. A short note: while 鈍 can describe physical dullness, it can also imply a lack of sharpness in thinking or perception, adding depth to its use in conversation.

Example sentences

• 彼の反応は鈍い。

  His reaction is slow.

Meanings across languages

English

dull, slow, foolish, blunt

Tiếng Việt

cùn

日本語

鈍い

한국어

둔한

中文

钝

id

tumpul, lamban, bodoh, tumpul

th

ทื่อ, ช้า, โง่, ทื่อ

es

sordo, lento, tonto, romos

fr

émoussé, lent, bête, obtus

de

stumpf, langsam, dumm, dumpf

pt

cego, lento, tolo, rombo

Common compounds

• 鈍化どんかbecoming dull, slowing down
• 鈍感どんかんthickheaded, insensitive, dull
• 鈍間のろまblockhead, dunce, dimwit
• 鈍いにぶいdull (e.g. a knife), blunt, thickheaded
• 鈍器どんきblunt weapon
• 鈍るにぶるto become blunt, to grow dull, to become less capable
• 鈍らすにぶらすto blunt, to dull, to weaken
• 鈍行どんこうlocal train, slow train