どろどろ
どろどろ
adverb
muddy; thick and gooey; messy (of relationships)
1.
muddy; thick; gooey; sludgy
Describes a substance that is thick, viscous, and messy, like mud or melted material.
道がどろどろだ。
The road is muddy.
チョコレートがどろどろに溶けた。
The chocolate melted into a gooey mess.
雨で服がどろどろになってしまった。
My clothes got all muddy from the rain.
2.
messy; tangled; sordid (of relationships or situations)
Describes human relationships or situations that are complicated, messy, and emotionally turbulent.
どろどろの人間関係。
A messy web of relationships.
あのドラマはどろどろの恋愛ドラマだ。
That drama is a sordid romance drama.
社内の権力争いがどろどろしている。
The internal power struggle at the company is a tangled mess.
An onomatopoeic/mimetic word (オノマトペ) that evokes the texture and feel of something thick, viscous, or muddled. Can be used as an adverb, na-adjective (どろどろの/な), or with する.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- どろどろになる: to become muddy/gooey
- どろどろに溶ける: to melt into a thick mess
- どろどろの関係: a messy/tangled relationship
- どろどろした展開: a sordid plot development
USAGE:
The figurative sense (sense 2) is very common in everyday conversation and media, especially when describing TV dramas, love triangles, workplace politics, or family conflicts. It implies something unpleasantly complicated and emotionally charged.
SIMILAR WORDS:
- ぬるぬる: slimy, slippery — wet and slick rather than thick and viscous
- べとべと: sticky — emphasizes adhesion rather than thickness
- ぐちゃぐちゃ: messy, jumbled — emphasizes disorder rather than viscosity; can also describe messy situations