ぼやく
boyaku[bo̞ja̠kɯ̟]
The English verb 'complain' can be translated into Japanese as ぼやく (boyaku). Wiktionary also lists ぶつぶつ言う (butsubutsu iu) and とやかく言う (toyakaku iu).
Meaning: to express feelings of pain, dissatisfaction, or resentment (verb)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| ぼやく | boyaku | [bo̞ja̠kɯ̟] (narrow) |
| ぶつぶつ言う | butsubutsu iu | |
| とやかく言う | toyakaku iu |
You can use ぼやく for general grumbling, ぶつぶつ言う for muttering or とやかく言う when someone is nitpicking or being fussy about how things are done.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase ぶつぶつ言う literally means 'to say mutterings'. It is composed of the onomatopoeic word ぶつぶつ (butsubutsu), which represents the sound of muttering and いう (iu), which means 'to say'.
Which one should you use?
ぼやく is used for grumbling or complaining to oneself or under one's breath about a situation. In contrast, とやかく言う implies criticizing or nitpicking someone else's actions or being fussy about how things are performed.
How do you pronounce it?
boyaku
Did you know?
- While ぼやく describes grumbling, the concept of 'complaining' in Japan is often viewed through the lens of kūki o yomu or 'reading the air', where complaining openly can be seen as a failure to maintain social harmony.
- The repetition of sounds in ぶつぶつ is a common feature of Japanese called 'reduplication', which is used to turn a single sound into a continuous state or action.
- The phrase とやかく言う is often used as a warning or a shut-down phrase, essentially telling the other person to stop nitpicking and mind their own business.
Examples in context
- ぶつぶつ言うよ。She'll complain.This sentence is useful for showing a prediction that someone will use the form ぶつぶつ言う.Tatoeba #11029192 by small_snow, translation #8652818 by AlanF_US
- 大変申し訳ありませんが、このサービスには問題があります。I'm terribly sorry, but there is an issue with this service.
- この商品には不満があります。I'm unsatisfied with this product.
- すごく不便だよな！It's really inconvenient, isn't it?
- この店のサービスは最悪だよ。The service in this store is the worst.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “complain” translations and entries ぼやく, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
