ややこしい
yayakoshii
The Japanese word for "confusing" is ややこしい (yayakoshii).
ややこしい is used to describe something that is difficult to understand.
Meaning: difficult to understand (adj)
How do you pronounce it?
yayakoshii
When do people say it?
When expressing confusion in relaxed settings, you might hear people use 何それ？ to mean "What is that?" or "What's that?" to show curiosity. Among friends, the colloquial phrase よくわかんない is often used to say "I don't really understand" or "I have no idea."
Did you know?
- The word ややこしい originates from the word for 'infant', ややこ. It suggests that a confusing situation is as difficult and fretful to deal with as a crying baby.
- To express a deeper level of confusion than ややこしい, speakers might use お手上げ, which literally means 'hands up' in surrender.
- In Japanese, you can describe a person as ややこしい to mean they are 'difficult' or 'high-maintenance' rather than mentally confused.
Examples in context
- 正直、すごくややこしい言葉よ。Honestly, it's a very confusing language.This sentence is useful for describing a language that is very confusing using ややこしい.Tatoeba #10832921 by small_snow, translation #9188290 by shekitten
- 最新のレポートにより、私は混乱しています。I am confused by the latest report.
- この漫画のストーリー、よくわかんないんだよね。I don't really understand the story of this manga.
- この説明は、少しややこしいですね。Kono setsumei wa, sukoshi yakokoshii desu ne.This explanation is a bit confusing, isn't it?
- 手続きのルールがややこしい。Tetsuzuki no rūru ga yakokoshii.The procedures' rules are confusing.
Example conversation
Ren and Himari are discussing a complex computer manual.
- 蓮 Renこのマニュアル、内容がややこしいよ。Kono manyuaru, naiyō ga yakokoshii yo.This manual is confusing, the content is complicated.
- 陽葵 Himari本当に、蓮さんの言う通りだね。Hontō ni, Ren-san no iu tōri da ne.Truly, it is just as you say, Ren.
- 蓮 Renどこが一番ややこしいかな？Doko ga ichiban yakokoshii kana?I wonder which part is the most confusing?
- 陽葵 Himari図解がなくて分かりにくいわ。Zukai ga nakute wakarinikui wa.It's hard to understand because there are no diagrams.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ややこしい, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
