～ふりをする
Pretend that something is true or that you are doing it
You’ll be able to describe deliberately acting as though a state, feeling, or action were real.
芽衣はお母さんの帽子をかぶって、大人のふりをしています。
mei wa okaasan no boushi o kabutte, otona no furi o shite imasu.
What do you think this sentence means?
Mei is wearing her mother's hat, pretending to be an adult.
Feint or pretend to be in a certain state
～ふりをする means to feign, pretend, or deliberately act as if something is the case when it is not ("pretend to...", "act as if...").
学校に行きたくなくて、病気のふりをした。
gakkou ni ikitakunakute, byouki no furi o shita.
I didn't want to go to school, so I pretended to be sick.
道で先生を見かけたけど、気づかないふりをした。
michi de sensei o mikaketa kedo, kizukanai furi o shita.
I saw my teacher on the street, but pretended not to notice.
Attach ふりをする to plain forms or noun + の
Use verb plain forms (including negative and past), i-adjectives, na-adjectives (with な), or nouns with の before ふりをする.
本当は知っていたのに、知らないふりをした。
hontou wa shitte ita noni, shiranai furi o shita.
Even though I actually knew, I feigned ignorance.
～ようだ vs ～ふりをする
～ようだ says something really seems to be true. ～ふりをする says someone acts as if it were true, on purpose, when it is not.
～ようだ, seems to
弟は寝ているようだ。
otouto wa nete iru you da.
My younger brother seems to be asleep.
He probably really is asleep.
～ふりをする, pretend to
弟は寝ているふりをしている。
otouto wa nete iru furi o shite iru.
My younger brother is pretending to be asleep.
He is awake and acting.
弟は宿題をしているふりをして、こっそりマンガを読んでいた。
otouto wa shukudai o shite iru furi o shite, kossori manga o yonde ita.
My younger brother was pretending to do his homework while secretly reading manga.
苦手な上司からの電話だったので、忙しいふりをしてすぐに切った。
nigate na joushi kara no denwa datta node, isogashii furi o shite sugu ni kitta.
The call was from a boss I don’t get along with, so I pretended to be busy and hung up right away.
友達に心配をかけたくなくて、本当はつらいのに平気なふりをした。
tomodachi ni shinpai o kaketaku nakute, hontou wa tsurai noni heiki na furi o shita.
I didn’t want to worry my friends, so I acted as if I was fine even though it was really hard.
7 more examples in the grammar path — free for a limited time.