ふざける
ふざける
ichidan verb
to joke around; to mess around; to fool around
1.
to joke around; to fool around; to play
To behave in a playful or silly manner, not taking things seriously.
子供たちがふざけている。
The kids are fooling around.
ふざけて言ったんだよ。
I said it as a joke.
ふざけ半分で言った。
I said it half-jokingly.
2.
to mess around; to be ridiculous
To behave inappropriately or in an annoying way (often used critically).
ふざけるな。
Stop messing around. / Don't be ridiculous.
ふざけた態度だ。
That's a disrespectful attitude.
ふざけんなよ！
Don't mess with me!
ふざける can be used both playfully and critically depending on context. The command form ふざけるな is a strong expression of anger or disbelief.
REGISTER:
Casual/informal language. The colloquial contraction ふざけんな is even more casual/rough.
COMMON PATTERNS:
- ふざけるな: stop messing around (command)
- ふざけんな/ふざけんなよ: rough/angry version
- ふざけ半分: half-joking
- ふざけた～: ridiculous/inappropriate (adjective use)
ASPECT ({ている}):
ふざけている indicates an ongoing state of joking or messing around.