回りくどい
まわりくどい
adjective-i
roundabout; indirect; long-winded
Conjugation
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Present | 回りくどい | 回りくどくない |
| Past | 回りくどかった | 回りくどくなかった |
| て form | 回りくどくて | 回りくどくなくて |
| Adverbial | 回りくどく | — |
| Conditional ば | 回りくどければ | 回りくどくなければ |
| Conditional たら | 回りくどかったら | 回りくどくなかったら |
1.
roundabout; indirect; long-winded; circumlocutory
Describes speech, writing, or methods that are unnecessarily indirect and take a long time to get to the point. Always carries a negative connotation — implying the speaker or method should be more direct.
回りくどい言い方はやめてほしい。
I wish you'd stop being so roundabout in the way you say things.
回りくどい説明で、結局何が言いたいのか分からなかった。
The explanation was so roundabout that I couldn't understand what they were trying to say.
回りくどいやり方ではなく、もっと直接的に問題に取り組むべきだ。
We should tackle the problem more directly rather than taking a roundabout approach.
USAGE:
Always negative in nuance. Used when someone's speech or approach is frustratingly indirect. Can describe both verbal communication and methods of doing things.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 回りくどい言い方 (a roundabout way of saying something)
- 回りくどい説明 (a long-winded explanation)
- 回りくどいやり方 (a roundabout method)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 遠回し: indirect, roundabout — can be neutral or even tactful, unlike 回りくどい which is always negative
- くどい: persistent, long-winded — focuses on tedious repetition rather than indirectness