Grammar Info

N3 Lesson 7: 3/21

だらけCompletely covered in, Full of

Structure

Noun + だらけ
Noun + だらけ + の + Noun

Details

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About だらけ

だらけ is a suffix that is used in Japanese to express when one thing is 'covered in', or 'filled with' another thing.

だらけ will be attached to the end of nouns, before (sometimes) being followed by the case marking particle の and a second noun. The second noun is frequently omitted if the place or thing that is 'covered in' something is obvious.

Fun Fact

だらけ is primarily used to express things that exist in a 'scattered' state (like stars in the sky). Due to this, it will not sound natural when used to describe a thing that is 'covered in' something that is not scattered in some way.

  • 壁(かべ)をしろだらけに塗(ぬ)ってください。
    Please cover my wall with white paint. (Unnatural, unless the speaker specifically wanted paint speckled, rather than covering the wall)
  • 血(ち)だらけのシャツをクリーニングに出(だ)した。
    I took my blood-covered shirt to the dry cleaner. (Natural, as blood drops may be scattered)

Examples

--:--

    床(ゆか)が泥(どろ)だらけになった。

    The floor became covered in dirt.

    汗(あせ)だらけでもかまわない。

    I don't mind being covered in sweat.

    あの壁(かべ)はいつも落書(らくが)きだらけだ。

    That wall is always covered with graffiti.

    欠点(けってん)だらけの人(ひと)はいない。

    No one is completely flawed.

    あの人(ひと)の話(はなし)は矛盾(むじゅん)だらけだ。

    That person's stories are full of contradictions.

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だらけ – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (2 in total)

  • cineebon

    cineebon

    Is だらけ only used for being covered in something bad? All the context sentences seem to imply that, but I just want to make sure I’m not reading into it.

  • mrnoone

    mrnoone

    @cineebon
    Hey

    Very good question!
    Yes, you are right. It implies something being covered with something that is not really wanted.

    Cheers!

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