1.
to scatter, to sprinkle
To scatter or spread things widely over an area.
種をばら撒いた。
I scattered the seeds.
風で書類がばら撒かれた。
The documents were scattered by the wind.
庭に肥料をばら撒いた。
I scattered fertilizer in the garden.
2.
to hand out widely, to distribute freely
To distribute something widely and often indiscriminately, such as money, flyers, or information. Often carries a negative connotation.
駅前でチラシをばら撒く。
To hand out flyers in front of the station.
税金をばら撒くな。
Don't waste tax money.
Critical of excessive public spending
ネットで個人情報をばら撒かれるのは本当に怖い。
Having your personal information spread all over the internet is truly frightening.
CONJUGATION (godan-ku):
- Negative: ばら撒かない
- Te-form: ばら撒いて
- Past: ばら撒いた
- Passive: ばら撒かれる
WRITING NOTE:
Can be written as ばらまく, バラまく, or ばら撒く. Hiragana is most common.
NUANCE:
Sense 2 often carries a critical or negative tone, implying wasteful or careless distribution, especially when talking about money or information.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- お金をばら撒く: to throw money around
- チラシをばら撒く: to hand out flyers
- 情報をばら撒く: to spread information