駄洒落る
だじゃれる
verb (ichidan)
to make a (corny) pun; to crack a bad joke based on wordplay
Conjugation
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Present | 駄洒落る | 駄洒落ない |
| Present polite | 駄洒落ます | 駄洒落ません |
| Past | 駄洒落た | 駄洒落なかった |
| Past polite | 駄洒落ました | 駄洒落ませんでした |
| て form | 駄洒落て | 駄洒落なくて |
| ている present | 駄洒落ている | 駄洒落ていない |
| ている polite | 駄洒落ています | 駄洒落ていません |
| ている past | 駄洒落ていた | 駄洒落ていなかった |
| ている past polite | 駄洒落ていました | 駄洒落ていませんでした |
| Conditional ば | 駄洒落れば | 駄洒落なければ |
| Conditional たら | 駄洒落たら | 駄洒落なかったら |
| Volitional | 駄洒落よう | — |
| Volitional polite | 駄洒落ましょう | — |
| Potential | 駄洒落られる | 駄洒落られない |
| Passive | 駄洒落られる | 駄洒落られない |
| Causative | 駄洒落させる | 駄洒落させない |
| Imperative | 駄洒落ろ | 駄洒落るな |
1.
to make a (corny) pun; to crack a bad joke based on wordplay
To produce a pun — typically a deliberately groan-worthy joke that exploits the similar sound of two words. The verb is colloquial and usually carries a slightly affectionate or teasing tone, often associated with stereotypical 'dad jokes' (おやじギャグ). Used both about the act of telling such jokes and about a habitual tendency to do so.
Verbalised form of the noun 駄洒落 ('a corny pun; a bad joke'), made by attaching る to convert the noun into an ichidan verb. This pattern (noun + る) is common in colloquial Japanese for making nouns into casual verbs (cf. メモる 'to make a memo', ググる 'to google').
Usage
- Almost exclusively used in casual, spoken Japanese; rarely seen in formal writing.
- Carries a humorous or teasing tone, often used about an older relative or colleague who is fond of puns.
- The noun 駄洒落 ('pun') is far more common than the verb form. The verb is heard mostly in casual conversation among family or friends.
Transitivity
Intransitive — describes the act of making a pun without taking an object. The pun itself is not normally marked with を; instead, one would say 「駄洒落を言う」 to focus on a specific pun.
Common collocations
- また駄洒落た: cracked another pun (typical exasperated reaction)
- 駄洒落たくなる: to feel like cracking a pun
- 駄洒落るのが好き: to like making puns
- 駄洒落って場を和ませる: to make a pun and lighten the mood
Similar words
- 駄洒落を言う: to tell a pun — the more standard way to express the same idea, using the noun and a verb.
- ギャグを言う: to crack a joke — broader, covers any kind of joke including puns.
- ふざける: to mess around; to joke around — covers all kinds of playful or silly behaviour, not specifically wordplay.
- 親父ギャグを言う: to crack a 'dad joke' — close in meaning; specifically refers to the stereotype of middle-aged men telling cheesy puns.
Related Words
Compare:
ふざける (to mess around)