Takashi's Japanese Dictionary

A blog for learning Japanese that introduces Japanese slang words and Idioms!

  • Home
  • Posts ▾
    • Latest Posts
    • Featured Posts
    • Phrases by Topic
    • Slang
    • Idiom
    • Column
    • Grammar
    • Reading Comprehension
    • 英語に関する記事 (in Japanese)
  • Lesson Materials ▾
    • For Complete Beginners
    • For Intermediate/Advanced Learners
  • Tools ▾
    • Furigana Generator
    • Gairaigo/Wasei-Eigo Converter
  • What’s New
  • Social Media
  • About
You are here: Home / Featured Posts / Japanese and English Words that Rhyme in Both Languages

Japanese and English Words that Rhyme in Both Languages

January 16, 2021

In English, there are a great number of words and phrases that rhyme with themselves, such as “topsy-turvy”, “wishy-washy” and “lovey-dovey”. And funnily enough, it turns out that some of these phrases happen to rhyme in Japanese too, e.g. the translation of “topsy-turvy” is “滅茶苦茶 (めちゃくちゃ, mecha-kucha)” and the one of “wishy-washy” is “うじうじする (uji-uji suru)”. This article provides a list of such words and phrases that coincidentally rhyme in those two completely different languages!

Table of Contents

  • うじうじ [+する]
    • En: “wishy-washy”
    • Example
  • ラブラブ (+する, +な)
    • En: “lovey-dovey”
    • Example
  • グチャグチャ (+な)
    • En: “mishmash/hotchpotch”
    • Example
  • グダグダ (+する)
    • En: “dilly-dally”
    • Example
  • パラパラ
    • En: “pitter-patter”
    • Example
  • 滅茶苦茶
    • En: “topsy-turvy”
    • Example
  • ガバガバ (+の, +な)
    • En: “loosey-goosey”
    • Example
  • 余裕のよっちゃん
    • En: “easy-peasy”
    • Example
  • ちんぷんかんぷん
    • En: “mumbo jumbo; be all Greek”
    • Example

うじうじ [+する]

En: “wishy-washy”

うじうじする (or ウジウジする) is a casual Japanese word that basically means “be wishy-washy”. In particular, it is often used to describe a wishy-washy man who is too indecisive to make an action, and/or too scared to say something straightforwardly to others. It also describes someone who dwells on the past and cannot move on.

You can use うじうじ as a suru-verb or adverb. To modify a noun, you can say “use うじうじした + Noun”,  or use other adjectives such as “女々しい (めめしい)” meaning “effeminate”.

Example

ウジウジするのはやめて、彼女をデートに誘いなよ?
Why don’t you stop being wishy-washy and ask her out?

将来についてウジウジ悩んでも仕方がない。
It doesn’t help to worry about your future in a wishy-washy way.

ウジウジした男は嫌いだ
I hate wishy-washy men.

ラブラブ (+する, +な)

En: “lovey-dovey”

ラブラブ literally means “love-love” and humorously describes a sweet couple who are very intimate with each other. It usually contains a rather positive meaning, but it can also be used negatively or ironically. Among teens, it is also used to mock a couple of people who are not in a relationship but very close to each other. Instead of ラブラブ, some old people use “アツアツ” to describe a lovey-dovey couple, as in “アツアツの夫婦” (“a lovey-dovey married couple), but it is regarded as 死語 (しご), i.e. an outdated expression (but you may still use it as a joke).

Example

彼と彼女、いつも手をつないでいてラブラブだよね。
He and she always hold hands together and are lovey-dovey/so intimate.

お前らラブラブだなー、付き合っちゃえよ!
You are so lovey-dovey, why don’t you become a couple?

さっき、アツアツの若いアベックが公園でキスしているのを見たぞ
I just saw a lovey-dovey young couple kissing in the park.

(* アベック is a very old-fashioned word meaning “a couple”. It is loaned from the French word “avec”, meaning “with”.)

グチャグチャ (+な)

En: “mishmash/hotchpotch”

グチャグチャ describes a messy place, like a wardrobe of disorganised people. It is used either as an adjective (グチャグチャな/グチャグチャだ) meaning “be a mishmash/hotchpotch” or adverb (グチャグチャに) meaning “higgledy-piggledy”.

Similar to グチャグチャ, the phrase “ゴチャゴチャ” also describes a messy state. The slight difference is that グチャグチャ is more like “mashed/mixed/crumpled” (e.g. グチャグチャな紙 = “crumpled paper”), while ゴチャゴチャ is more like “busy/scattered/disorganised” (e.g. ゴチャゴチャした通り= “busy street with many buildings and signboards”). Another difference is that グチャグチャ can also describe something soggy/muddy, while ゴチャゴチャ can describe an overly complicated story.

Example

私の衣装戸棚は違う季節の服でグチャグチャだ/ゴチャゴチャしている。
My wardrobe is a mishmash/hodgepodge of clothes from different seasons.

全てを箱にグチャグチャに詰め込んだ。
I put everything, higgledy-piggledy, into the boxes.

新宿駅の周辺は非常にゴチャゴチャしている。
The area around Shinjuku station is very messy (crowned with many kinds of buildings and people).

グダグダ (+する)

En: “dilly-dally”

グダグダ(する) means “spend time in an aimless way” and is often abbreviated as “グダる” among young people. There is also a very similar sounding and meaning word “グズグズする”, which means “(someone’s behaviour is) very slow/do not act quickly/procrastinate things”.

There is also a similar word, ずるずる(と), which means “to keep doing things indecisively (e.g. not because you really want to, but rather you can’t be bothered to bite the bullet and discontinue)”. For instance, ずるずると付き合う means “be in a relationship with someone (without much passion)”.

Example

YouTubeを見ながらグダグダしてたら (=グダッてたら)、もう夜になっているのに気づいた。
I was dilly-dallying with watching Youtube and realised that it was night already.

グズグズしていると、置いていくからね。
If you are slow (don’t get ready soon), I will leave you.

パラパラ

En: “pitter-patter”

パラパラ is an onomatopoeia that describes the sound of light rain, like “pitter-patter”. However, unlike pitter-patter, パラパラ is not used to describe the sound of light steps, as in “pitter-patter of tiny feet”

Example

パラパラと小雨が降ってきた。
It started raining a bit (with the sound of the pitter-patter of rain.)

See also: 20 Japanese Words, Idioms and Onomatopoeia Related to Rain (雨, ame)

滅茶苦茶

En: “topsy-turvy”

滅茶苦茶 (めちゃくちゃ), or “めちゃめちゃ” means “chaotic; unreasonable’ insane; topsy-turvy”. Basically, you can describe something as “滅茶苦茶” when you find it chaotic and totally messed up. If you replace the first character 滅 with 無, it becomes another word “無茶苦茶 (むちゃくちゃ)”; basically, it means “unreasonable; unrealistic; illogical; ridiculous”, but sometimes it is used interchangeably with 滅茶苦茶. Both 無茶苦茶 and 滅茶苦茶 are also written in hiragana sometimes.

This might confuse you a little bit, but young people also use 滅茶苦茶 as an intensifier like “とても (very)”, e.g. “めちゃくちゃ美味しい” means “so/very tasty”.  In this case, it is usually written in hiragana.

Example

急に犬が家の中に入って走り回ったので、部屋が滅茶苦茶になった
Suddenly a dog came into our house and ran around, and made our room totally messed up.

彼に私の人生滅茶苦茶にされた
My life was totally f*cked up (turned topsy-turvy) by him.

無茶苦茶な提案をしないで下さい。
Please don’t make an unreasonable/unrealistic proposal.

それ、めちゃくちゃ嫌なんだけど
I really hate it.

ガバガバ (+の, +な)

En: “loosey-goosey”

ガバガバ is a very casual slang word that means “loosey-goosy”. It is used to describe loosey-goosey rules, restrictions, security, etc. as well as something very loose physically.

Example

ガバガバ{な or の}セキュリティー/法律
loosey-goosey security/law

余裕のよっちゃん

En: “easy-peasy”

余裕のよっちゃん, although it’s not quite a rhyming phrase, is a very old-fashioned expression that means “easy-peasy” or “piece of a cake”. The word 余裕 (よゆう) means “very easy”, and よっちゃん has no meaning here; it just makes a rhyme/pun (よっちゃん is a common nickname for someone whose name starts from よ, e.g. よしこ). It is considered as one of the old-fashioned expressions that represent the 昭和 (Shōwa) era (1926-1989).

See also: 昭和の匂い (‘Smell of Shōwa’): Origin of ‘Shōwa Era’ and Relevant Idioms Explained

Example

この文、英語に翻訳出来る?
Can you translate this sentence into English?

そんなの余裕のよっちゃんだよ
Yep, that’s easy-peasy/is a piece of cake.

ちんぷんかんぷん

En: “mumbo jumbo; be all Greek”

ちんぷんかんぷん is used to describe something that is too difficult/complicated to understand. For instance, if you attend an academic conference or seminar that is not relevant to your area at all, most of the presentations would be ちんんぷんかんぷん to you. It also has a kanji form, “珍紛漢紛”, but is rarely used.

Example

彼の話は私にはちんぷんかんぷんだった。
His story was mumbo jumbo/all Greek to me

Filed Under: Featured Posts, List, Slang

Related Posts

  • 逆ギレ (gyaku gire) Meaning ‘Get Angry in a “Reversed” Way’ in Japanese

  • Meaning of *活: 婚活 (Konkatsu), 就活/終活 (Shūkatsu) and 朝活 (Asakatsu)

  • するする詐欺 (suru suru sagi): “All-Talk-No-Action Fraud”

  • 職業病 (shokugyou byou): “Déformation Professionnelle” in Japanese

  • Meaning of “Death Flag” (死亡フラグ, Shibou Furagu) in Japanese

    Meaning of “Death Flag” (死亡フラグ, Shibou Furagu) in Japanese

Featured Posts:

  • Japanese Conversation Practice to Master 気-related Idioms
  • “Gakkī Loss”: Meaning of ロス (“Loss”) in Japanese
  • 30+ Japanese Words for “Very”: Synonyms of とても (totemo)
  • 40 Ways of Saying "Many" in Japanese (Ooi, Ippai, Takusan, and More...)
  • 8 Funny and Cute Japanese Cat Idioms
  • Success Story of Ichiro Suzuki: What He Means to Japanese Baseball Fans

Popular Posts:

  • “The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” Could Mean “I love You” in Japanese
  • Meaning of “May Disease” (五月病, gogatsu byou) in Japanese
  • Meaning of 卍 (manji) and マジ卍 (Maji manji) in Japanese
  • 50 Japanese Words and Idioms about Love & Relationship
  • なんでやねん (nandeyanen): Meaning and Usage
  • Meaning and Difference of ガチ (gachi) and マジ (maji) in Japanese
  • 4 Meanings of ノリ (Nori) in Japanese Slang
  • Meaning of Kenjataimu (賢者タイム, Kenja Time) in Japanese Slang
  • Meaning of “It will snow/rain a lot tomorrow” in Japanese (+ Other Languages)
  • コミュ障 (komyushou) Meaning ‘Suck at Communication’ in Japanese
  • 5 Meanings of ペラペラ (pera pera) in Japanese
  • Japanese Slang 帰宅部 (kitaku bu) Meaning ‘Go-Home Club’
  • 40 Ways of Saying “Many” in Japanese (Ooi, Ippai, Takusan, and More…)
  • Meaning of だけに (dake ni) and Its Usage to Make a Pun in Japanese
  • Japanese Wasei-Eigo List (“Japlish”) and Their Meanings
  • Boku, Ore, Watashi, Atashi: 15 Japanese Person Pronouns
  • Meaning of ペーパードライバー (‘Paper Driver’) in Japlish (Japanese English)
  • 20 Japanese Words and Onomatopoeia About Rain (雨, ame)
  • 9 Essential Kansai Dialect (Kansai-ben) Words and Phrases
  • 炎上 (enjou) Meaning “Come Under Fire” in Japanese
  • 8 Funny and Cute Japanese Cat Idioms
  • 闇鍋 (yaminabe): Meaning “Dark Hot Pot” with Random Ingredients
  • Essential Grammar in Kansai Dialect (関西弁, Kansai ben)
  • Meaning of Kaedama, Menkata and Barikata of Ramen Noodles
  • Ageru, Kureru, and Morau: Meaning, Grammar and Difference
  • Meaning of 相合傘 (ai ai gasa): Lovely Dream of Kids in Japan
  • とにかく (Tonikaku) Means More Than “Anyway”
  • Meaning of “Three-Day Monk” (三日坊主, mikka bouzu) in Japanese
  • Funny Japanese Gaming Slang Terms
  • 凸凹, 〆, 卍: Meaning of Weird and Funny Looking Kanji

Search on Takashionary
(e.g. 'food', 'cat', 'idiom')

If you like this page, follow me on social media!

  • E-mail
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

ブログランキング・にほんブログ村へPVアクセスランキング にほんブログ村

Follow me!

  • E-mail
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Search on Takashionary
(e.g. 'food', 'cat', 'idiom')

Trending Posts

  • “The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” Could Mean “I love You” in Japanese
  • Meaning of “May Disease” (五月病, gogatsu byou) in Japanese
  • Meaning of 卍 (manji) and マジ卍 (Maji manji) in Japanese
  • Meaning of Kenjataimu (賢者タイム, Kenja Time) in Japanese Slang
  • なんでやねん (nandeyanen): Meaning and Usage
  • 40 Ways of Saying “Many” in Japanese (Ooi, Ippai, Takusan, and More…)
  • 4 Meanings of ノリ (Nori) in Japanese Slang
  • Boku, Ore, Watashi, Atashi: 15 Japanese Person Pronouns
  • コミュ障 (komyushou) Meaning ‘Suck at Communication’ in Japanese
  • Meaning and Difference of ガチ (gachi) and マジ (maji) in Japanese
  • Japanese Slang 帰宅部 (kitaku bu) Meaning ‘Go-Home Club’
  • 5 Meanings of ペラペラ (pera pera) in Japanese
  • 50 Japanese Words and Idioms about Love & Relationship
  • 20 Japanese Words and Onomatopoeia About Rain (雨, ame)
  • Japanese Wasei-Eigo List (“Japlish”) and Their Meanings
  • “I can’t say even ぐう”: A Japanese Idiom For Touché Moments
  • Essential Grammar in Kansai Dialect (関西弁, Kansai ben)
  • Meaning of ペーパードライバー (‘Paper Driver’) in Japlish (Japanese English)
  • Meaning of “Three-Day Monk” (三日坊主, mikka bouzu) in Japanese
  • 9 Essential Kansai Dialect (Kansai-ben) Words and Phrases
  • Meaning of Japanese Bracketed Expressions: (笑), (棒), (白目) and More
  • 8 Funny and Cute Japanese Cat Idioms
  • Meaning of 相合傘 (ai ai gasa): Lovely Dream of Kids in Japan
  • Ashita, Asatte, Shiasatte, Yanoasatte: 13 Japanese Words Describing Dates
  • 凸凹, 〆, 卍: Meaning of Weird and Funny Looking Kanji
  • Meaning of “It will snow/rain a lot tomorrow” in Japanese (+ Other Languages)
  • 闇鍋 (yaminabe): Meaning “Dark Hot Pot” with Random Ingredients
  • Meaning of ぼっち (Bocchi) and クリぼっち (Kuri Bocchi) in Japanese Slang
  • 30+ Japanese Words for “Very”: Synonyms of とても (totemo)
  • 炎上 (enjou) Meaning “Come Under Fire” in Japanese

Popular Posts

  • “The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” Could Mean “I love You” in Japanese
  • 30+ Essential Japanese Words and Idioms to Describe Food
  • 9 Essential Kansai Dialect (Kansai-ben) Words and Phrases
  • 十八番 (ohako) Meaning “The Songs You Sing the Best”
  • Boku, Ore, Watashi, Atashi: 15 Japanese Person Pronouns
  • Meaning of Kaedama, Menkata and Barikata of Ramen Noodles
  • ありがた迷惑 (arigata meiwaku) Meaning “Unwelcome Favour” in Japanese
  • Meaning of Kenjataimu (賢者タイム, Kenja Time) in Japanese Slang
  • Japanese Idiom “Put on a Cat”, 猫をかぶる (neko wo kaburu)
  • Meaning and Difference of ガチ (gachi) and マジ (maji) in Japanese

Words by Theme

  • 30+ Essential Japanese Words and Idioms to Describe Food
  • 9 Essential Kansai Dialect (Kansai-ben) Words and Phrases
  • Boku, Ore, Watashi, Atashi: 15 Japanese Person Pronouns

Idiom

  • 十八番 (ohako) Meaning “The Songs You Sing the Best”
  • ありがた迷惑 (arigata meiwaku) Meaning “Unwelcome Favour” in Japanese
  • Japanese Idiom “Put on a Cat”, 猫をかぶる (neko wo kaburu)

Japlish

  • 深夜テンション (shinya tension) Meaning “Midnight High” in Japanese Slang
  • Japanese Wasei-Eigo List (“Japlish”) and Their Meanings
  • Meaning of ペーパードライバー (‘Paper Driver’) in Japlish (Japanese English)

Slang

  • Meaning of *活: 婚活 (Konkatsu), 就活/終活 (Shūkatsu) and 朝活 (Asakatsu)
  • 女たらし (onna tarashi) Meaning ‘Lady’s Man’ in Japanese
  • オワコン (Owakon) Meaning ‘Old-Fashioned’ in Japanese Slang

Column

  • “The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” Could Mean “I love You” in Japanese
  • Meaning of 遠慮 (enryo) and 空気を読む (kuuki wo yomu)
  • Success Story of Ichiro Suzuki: What He Means to Japanese Baseball Fans

Grammar

  • Essential Grammar in Kansai Dialect (関西弁, Kansai ben)
  • 全然おいしい: Meaning of Zenzen in Positive Sentences Without ない (Nai)
  • Ageru, Kureru, and Morau: Meaning, Grammar and Difference

日本語記事

  • 韻を踏むお茶目な英語表現、単語、フレーズ、イディオム30+
  • 頭に情景が浮かぶ面白い英語フレーズ、イディオム30+
  • ManyやA Lot Ofの類語、 言い換え英語表現50+の使い分け
  • 直訳すると変な英語表現、イディオム12
  • 「他界する」を意味するユニークな英語イディオム8選

Categories

Copyright © 2022 · All Rights Reserved