めちゃくちゃ

めちゃくちゃ
adverb
messed up; extremely; absurdly
See also: めっちゃ (shorter casual variant)
1. messed up; ruined; chaotic
Describes something that is completely disorganized, destroyed, or in disarray.
台風(たいふう)で庭(にわ)がめちゃくちゃになった。
The typhoon made a mess of the garden.
計画(けいかく)がめちゃくちゃだ。
The plan is a complete mess.
子(こ)どもが部屋(へや)をめちゃくちゃにした。
The kids made a mess of the room.
2. extremely; ridiculously
Used as an intensifier meaning 'very' or 'extremely' in casual speech.
このラーメンはめちゃくちゃ美味(おい)しい。
This ramen is incredibly delicious.
Casual speech
昨日(きのう)のテストはめちゃくちゃ難(むずか)しかった。
Yesterday's test was ridiculously hard.
あの映画(えいが)はめちゃくちゃ面白(おもしろ)かったから、もう一回(いっかい)見(み)たい。
That movie was incredibly entertaining, so I want to see it again.

めちゃくちゃ has two distinct uses: describing chaos/disorder, and functioning as a casual intensifier meaning 'extremely.'

DISORDER PATTERNS:

  • めちゃくちゃになる: to become a mess, be ruined
  • めちゃくちゃにする: to make a mess of, to ruin
  • 計画(けいかく)がめちゃくちゃだ: the plan is a total mess

INTENSIFIER PATTERNS:

VARIATIONS:

  • めちゃ: shortened form (very casual, common among young speakers)
  • むちゃくちゃ: variant pronunciation with the same meaning
  • めっちゃ: Kansai-origin variant, now widespread nationwide

REGISTER:
Casual and informal. Very common in spoken Japanese, especially among younger speakers. Avoid in formal writing or business contexts.

Related Words

Synonym: すごく (standard casual)
Synonym: とても (standard/polite)
general
Added 2026.1.16 12:20 · Revised 2026.6.5 3:09
05000/05178_mechakucha