たらたら

たらたら
adverb, onomatopoeia
in a thin trickle; on and on (complaining)
descriptiveonomatopoeia
1. in a thin trickle; dripping continuously
The manner of a thin, continuous flow of liquid—sweat, blood, oil, or sauce—running rather than falling in discrete drops.
汗(あせ)がたらたら流(なが)れる。
Sweat trickles down.
鼻血(はなぢ)がたらたらと出(で)てきた。
A nosebleed started trickling out.
焼(や)けた肉(にく)から脂(あぶら)がたらたらと滴(したた)り落(お)ちる。
Fat trickles down from the grilled meat in a steady stream.
2. on and on (of complaints, excuses, etc.)
A figurative extension: going on at length with complaints, grumbling, or excuses in a tiresome way.
文句(もんく)たらたら言(い)わないで。
Stop griping on and on.
彼(かれ)は言(い)い訳(わけ)をたらたらと並(なら)べた。
He went on and on rattling off excuses.
愚痴(ぐち)をたらたらこぼすばかりで、何(なに)も解決(かいけつ)しようとしない。
He just grumbles on and on without trying to solve anything.

Sense 1 is concrete (liquid trickling); sense 2 is a fixed figurative usage with words for complaints or excuses, where たらたら follows the noun directly.

Common collocations

Similar words

Related Words

Compare: ぽたぽた (dripping in distinct drops, not…)
Compare: ぼたぼた (larger, heavier drops)
Compare: だらだら (thicker, sluggish flow)
general
Added 2026.6.8 16:55 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
28500/28988_taratara