でたらめ

でたらめ
na-adjective, noun
nonsense; random; irresponsible; made-up
informalcolloquialdescriptive
1. nonsense; made-up; false
Something that is not true or has no basis in fact.
でたらめを言(い)うな。
Don't talk nonsense.
その話(はなし)はでたらめだ。
That story is made up.
でたらめな情報(じょうほう)を信(しん)じてしまった。
I ended up believing false information.
2. random; haphazard; irresponsible
Done without proper care, thought, or consistency.
でたらめに答(こた)えた。
I answered randomly.
でたらめな仕事(しごと)をするな。
Don't do sloppy work.
でたらめに書(か)いたレポートを提出(ていしゅつ)した。
I submitted a report I wrote haphazardly.

でたらめ may come from 出鱈目(でたらめ), possibly related to dice rolling (random outcomes). It can be written in hiragana, katakana, or kanji.

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This is a casual/informal word. In formal contexts, use 根拠(こんきょ)のない, 不正確(ふせいかく)な, or いい加減(かげん)な.

Common patterns

  • でたらめを言(い)う: to talk nonsense
  • でたらめな～: nonsensical/haphazard (adjective)
  • でたらめに～: randomly/haphazardly (adverb)
general
Added 2026.2.1 16:11 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
09000/09308_detarame