けばい

けばい

i-adjective

gaudy

informalcolloquialappearance evaluation

Conjugation

	Affirmative	Negative
Present	けばい	けばくない
Past	けばかった	けばくなかった
て form	けばくて	けばくなくて
Adverbial	けばく	—
Conditional ば	けばければ	けばくなければ
Conditional たら	けばかったら	けばくなかったら

1. gaudy

flashy; garish; excessively showy or loud (in appearance)

けばい化粧(けしょう)だ。

That's heavy/gaudy makeup.

あの服(ふく)はちょっとけばい。

Those clothes are a bit flashy.

けばい色(いろ)のネイルはオフィスには向(む)かない。

Flashy nail colors aren't appropriate for the office.

Etymology

A slang shortening of けばけばしい (gaudy, garish), the standard word.

Register: Informal. Colloquial and mildly critical.

Usage

Has a negative or critical nuance
Describes excessive, tasteless showiness
Commonly used for makeup, clothing, or decorations

Common collocations

けばい化粧(けしょう) (heavy/gaudy makeup)
けばい服(ふく) (flashy clothes)
けばい色(いろ) (garish colors)
けばいネオン (flashy neon lights)

Similar words

派手(はで): Flashy, showy (can be positive or neutral)
けばけばしい: the standard word it shortens; usable in writing

Related Words

Compare: 派手(はで) (Flashy, showy)

general

Added 2026.1.21 20:32 · Revised 2026.10.4 4:17

07500/07847_kebai