フン

Japanese

Etymology 1

A generic sound indicating agreement or acceptance, or disagreement or skepticism. Compare English hm, hmm.

Alternative forms

• ふむ (fumu), フム (fumu), ふうむ (fūmu), ふーむ (fūmu), フーム (fūmu), フーン (fūn)

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) フン [fùń] (Heiban – [0])
• (Tokyo) フン [fúꜜǹ] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [ɸɯ̟̃ɴ]

Interjection

フン • (fun) 

1. (informal, affirmative) hm, uh-huh, yeah
2. (informal, negative) hmm, huh

Usage notes

Informal. When speaking with social strangers or superiors, one would use ええ (ē) or はい (hai) instead for affirmation, and ええ (ē) or あの (ano) for negation. Tone of voice and body language are also used to convey meaning.

Synonyms

• (affirmative): うん (un)
• (negative): ううん (ūn), へん (hen)

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English Hun.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɸɯ̟̃ɴ]

Proper noun

フン • (Fun) 

1. the Huns, the Hun ethnic group: a nomadic group of horse riders originating in Central Asia

Usage notes

May be more often encountered as the more specific compound フン族 (Funzoku).

Synonyms

• フン族(ぞく) (Funzoku)
• 匈奴(きょうど) (Kyōdo), 匈奴(フンヌ) (Funnu)

Etymology 3

Kanji reading.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) フン [fúꜜǹ] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [ɸɯ̟̃ɴ]

Noun

フン or ふん • (fun) 

1. 糞: excrement, feces

Usage notes

Due to the complexity of the kanji character, this word is often spelled in kana instead, usually katakana to contrast visually with surrounding hiragana text.