怠惰な
taida na
The English word 'lazy' can be translated into Japanese as either 怠惰な (taida na) or ぐうたら.
Meaning: unwilling to work (adj)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 怠惰な | taida na |
| ぐうたら | gūtara |
Both terms describe being unwilling to work. 怠惰な is used to describe laziness as a character flaw, whereas ぐうたら is used more broadly to describe someone who is idle or a good-for-nothing.
Which one should you use?
怠惰な is a formal, literary term often used in writing or serious contexts to describe a character flaw of laziness. In contrast, ぐうたら is a colloquial, more casual term used in daily conversation to describe someone who is idle or lacks motivation.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun form of 怠惰な is 怠惰, which means 'laziness' or 'sloth'.
How do you pronounce it?
taida na
Did you know?
- Japanese has many specific words for types of laziness, such as 三日坊主, which literally means 'three-day monk' and describes someone who gives up on a new habit quickly.
- The word ぐうたら is an onomatopoeic expression, a linguistic category in Japanese where sounds mimic states of being or movements.
- While 怠惰な is a formal term, Japanese speakers often avoid calling someone 'lazy' directly to maintain harmony, instead using indirect phrases like やる気が出ない meaning 'motivation doesn't come out'.
Examples in context
- 彼は怠惰な学生だ。He is a lazy student.This sentence shows how to use 怠惰な to describe a student.Tatoeba #102511 by bunbuku, translation #301183 by CK
- トムが、自分はぐうたらしてないってさ。Tom says he's not lazy.This sentence demonstrates the use of ぐうたら in a casual context.Tatoeba #8871791 by bunbuku, translation #6220452 by CK
- 彼は努力のない態度を示している。He is displaying an attitude of laziness.
- あの人は本当になまけものだ。That person is truly lazy.
- 彼は怠惰な生活を送っている。Kare wa taida na seikatsu o okutte iru.He is living a lazy life.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hiroto and Misaki are discussing their roommate.
- 大翔 Hiroto彼は本当に怠惰な人だね。kare wa hontou ni taidana hito da ne.He is a truly lazy person, isn't he?
- 美咲 Misakiそうね。全然掃除をしないわ。sou ne. zenzen souji o shinai wa.You're right. He doesn't clean at all.
- 大翔 Hiroto仕事までサボっているらしいよ。shigoto made sabotte iru rashii yo.I heard he's even slacking off at work.
- 美咲 Misakiそれはひどすぎるわ。sore wa hidosugiru wa.That's just too much.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “lazy” translations and entries ぐうたら, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
