玄人
くろうと
expert; professional; connoisseur (as opposed to an amateur)
By Nihongo PathUpdated
Examples
彼の腕前は玄人並みだ。
かれのうでまえはくろうとなみだ。
His skill is on a par with a professional's.
彼は玄人に近い。
かれはくろうとにちかい。
He is almost professional.
ここは玄人好みの渋い店だ。
ここはくろうとごのみのしぶいみせだ。
This is a understated place that appeals to connoisseurs.
Common patterns
- 玄人はだし
- good enough to shame a professional
- 玄人好み
- to the taste of the connoisseur
- 玄人並み
- on a professional level
Memory tip
Always learned as a pair with 素人 (しろうと, amateur) — both are irregular readings you cannot build from the kanji. 玄人 is about deep hands-on skill, while プロ is simply someone paid for it.
Kanji in this word
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What does 玄人 mean?