1.
to be scattered, to be dispersed, to be strewn about
For things to be spread out irregularly across an area, or for people/objects to be distributed widely rather than gathered together.
おもちゃが床に散らばっている。
Toys are scattered on the floor.
落ち葉が庭に散らばっていた。
Fallen leaves were strewn across the garden.
住民は広い地域に散らばって暮らしている。
The residents live scattered across a wide area.
TRANSITIVITY:
Intransitive (自動詞). The transitive pair is 散らす (to scatter something).
ASPECT (ている):
散らばっている describes the resulting state of being scattered — things are in a scattered arrangement.
PARTICLE PATTERNS:
- Xが散らばる: X is scattered
- Xに散らばる: scattered across/in X
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 書類が散らばる: papers are strewn about
- あちこちに散らばる: scattered here and there
- 広範囲に散らばる: dispersed over a wide area
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 散らかる: to be messy, in disarray (implies untidiness)
- 散らばる: to be scattered, dispersed (more neutral, spatial distribution)