騙す
damasu[da̠ma̠sɨ]
The Japanese verb for 'deceive' is 騙す (damasu). Wiktionary also lists 欺く (azamuku).
Meaning: trick or mislead (verb)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 騙す | damasu | [da̠ma̠sɨ] (narrow) |
| 欺く | azamuku | [a̠za̠mɯ̟kɯ̟] (narrow) |
Both 騙す and 欺く mean to trick or mislead someone. 騙す is a transitive verb, which means it requires a direct object to indicate the person being deceived.
Which one should you use?
騙す is the common, everyday word used for tricking or deceiving someone in regular conversation. In contrast, 欺く is a more formal, literary or abstract term often used in writing or when discussing large-scale deception, such as 'deceiving the public'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The dictionary form of the verb is 騙す. The past tense of 騙す is 騙した.
How do you pronounce it?
damasu
When do people say it?
In Japan, some forms of deception, such as polite white lies called 'tatemae,' can be seen as necessary to maintain social harmony.
Did you know?
- Japanese has a specific phrase 騙し騙し which means to 'make do' or 'get by' by pretending something is working when it is actually broken.
- While 騙す is the common term, the related noun 騙し絵 refers specifically to an optical illusion or a 'trick picture'.
- The word 騙す is used to describe not just lying, but also being 'scammed' or 'swindled' out of money in a street fraud.
Examples in context
- 騙すくらいなら騙された方がましだよ。I would rather be deceived than to deceive.This sentence shows how to use the comparative 'rather than' with the verb 騙す.Tatoeba #11317063 by bunbuku, translation #262320 by CM
- 同僚を騙すのは良くないよ。You shouldn't deceive your colleagues.This sentence provides an example of using 騙す in a social context regarding colleagues.Tatoeba #236705 by mookeee, translation #1341433 by CM
- 国民を欺くDeceive the peopleThis sentence demonstrates the formal use of 欺く in a grand-scale context.
- 騙されたくありませんI don't want to be deceived.
- 彼は長年私たちを欺いてきたHe has deceived us for many years.
- 彼の言葉に惑わされないでDon't be deceived by his words.
- 彼女に騙されちゃったI got deceived by her.
- 彼は僕をウソで騙したよHe deceived me with a lie.
- 友達にウソをついてしまったので、後悔している。I regret deceiving my friend by telling a lie.
- 彼との取引において騙されないようにしてください。Please make sure you are not deceived in your dealings with him.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yui and Yota are talking about a magic trick they saw.
- 結衣 Yuiあの手品師は観客を騙すのが上手いね。Ano tejishi wa kankyaku o damasu no ga umai ne.That magician is good at deceiving the audience.
- 陽太 Yota本当だね、結衣。僕も騙されたよ。Honto da ne, Yui. Boku mo damasareta yo.You're right, Yui. I was deceived too.
- 結衣 Yuiでも、悪い意味で騙すわけじゃないよ。Demo, warui imi de damasu wake janai yo.But he isn't deceiving them in a bad way.
- 陽太 Yotaそうだね、エンターテインメントだもんね。Sou da ne, entāteinmento damon ne.True, it's just entertainment.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “deceive” translations and entries 騙す, 欺く, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
