ぐでんぐでん

ぐでんぐでん
adverb
completely drunk, dead drunk, plastered
1. completely drunk, dead drunk, plastered
A mimetic word describing the state of being extremely intoxicated, to the point of being unable to function properly.
ぐでんぐでんに()った。
I got completely plastered.
(かれ)はぐでんぐでんで(かえ)ってきた。
He came home dead drunk.
ぐでんぐでんになるまで()むな。
Don't drink until you're completely wasted.
終電(しゅうでん)でぐでんぐでんの(ひと)をよく()る。
You often see dead-drunk people on the last train.

ぐでんぐでん is a mimetic word (onomatopoeia) that vividly describes the limp, wobbly state of extreme intoxication. The repetitive form emphasizes the severity.

Common patterns:

  • ぐでんぐでんに()う (to get dead drunk)
  • ぐでんぐでんになる (to become completely plastered)

Related mimetic words for drunkenness:

  • べろべろ (very drunk)
  • へべれけ (drunk and incoherent)
  • ふらふら (unsteady, wobbly)

ぐでんぐでん suggests a more limp, collapsed state than べろべろ.