有無

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 有無 is read as うむ and is a noun expressing both possibilities of something being present or absent.
• Basic usage: Checking whether required documents are present appears in 必要書類の有無を確認する, while acting regardless of scratches appears in 傷の有無にかかわらず.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Both presence and absence
  • It does not mean presence alone; it frames both the present and absent cases for checking or judgment.
• Difference from 可否
  • Unlike the term for whether something is possible or acceptable, this word asks whether it exists or is present.