N3 Appearance, Tendencies, and Hearsay

~ふりをする: meaning, usage and examples

~ふりをする means: to pretend to...

Updated 9 November 2026 · By the My Senpai team · Spotted a mistake? Tell us

Examples

1. 聞きこえているのに、聞きこえないふりをしている。

   He can hear, but he pretends not to hear.

2. 彼かれは、知しっているのに知しらないふりをしました。

   He pretended not to know, even though he did.

3. 弟おとうとは寝ねたふりをして、宿題しゅくだいをしませんでした。

   My little brother pretended to be asleep and didn't do his homework.

4. 木村きむらさんは、元気げんきなふりをしています。

   Mr. Kimura is pretending to be fine.

When to use it

ふりをする means "to pretend". The person acts as if something is true when it is not: 寝ねたふり (pretending to be asleep), 知しらないふり (pretending not to know), 元気げんきなふり (acting fine). People use it to describe someone hiding the truth, avoiding a task, or playing a role, such as children playing doctor: 医者いしゃのふりをする.

Nuance

Neutral register. It describes an intentional act, so the person knows the truth. It often has a negative feel (hiding, avoiding), but it can be kind: 気きづかないふりをする (to kindly pretend not to notice). The past form 寝ねたふり means acting as if already asleep.

Compare

みたい and ようだ are the speaker's guess about a real situation: 寝ねているみたい (it seems he is asleep). ふりをする means the situation is fake: 寝ねているふりをしている (he is pretending to sleep). っぽい describes looks or character, not a deliberate act.

Tip: Match the tense to the pretense: 寝ねたふり (acting already asleep), 知しらないふり (acting unaware). Do not forget の after nouns: 医者いしゃのふり.