馬鹿げた
bakageta[ba̠ka̠ɡe̞ta̠]
The Japanese word for ridiculous is 馬鹿げた (bakageta).
馬鹿げた is an adjective used to describe things that are foolish or absurd. Depending on the context and level of formality, other terms may be more appropriate, such as くだらない for something trivial or worthless or 馬鹿馬鹿しい for something silly or nonsensical.
Meaning: foolish, absurd (adj)
Which one should you use?
The different forms of this concept change based on how you use them in a sentence. 馬鹿げた is an attributive form used to modify a noun directly, such as 'a ridiculous idea'. In contrast, 馬鹿げている is the continuous state form used to say that something 'is ridiculous' as a predicate. For a more extreme or literary sense of being preposterous or far-fetched, use 荒唐無稽. For a sense of being foolish or idiotic, you might use the informal ばかっぽい.
How do you pronounce it?
bakageta
Did you know?
- The root word 馬鹿 is composed of the characters for 'horse' and 'deer'. This is thought to be a phonetic adaptation of a Chinese word for a fool, rather than a literal reference to animals.
- The term 馬鹿 can paradoxically be used to describe someone who is 'ridiculously' skilled or a genius in a specific field, implying their talent is beyond normal human understanding.
- While calling someone 馬鹿 is a common insult in Tokyo, in the Osaka region of Kansai, the word アホ is often used more casually and can even be an affectionate term among friends.
Examples in context
- 「その考えは馬鹿げているように聞こえます。」That idea sounds ridiculous.
- 「あの映画、くだらなかったよね。」That movie was ridiculous, wasn't it?
- 馬鹿げた話はやめてください。bakageta hanashi wa yamete kudasai.Please stop talking about such ridiculous things.
- それは馬鹿げた計画です。sore wa bakageta keikaku desu.That is a ridiculous plan.
- こんな馬鹿げたルールはない。konna bakageta ruru wa nai.There is no such ridiculous rule.
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing a strange news story.
- 大翔 Hirotoそのニュースは本当に馬鹿げているね。sono nyusu wa hontou ni bakagete iru ne.That news is truly ridiculous, isn't it?
- 美咲 Misakiええ、馬鹿げた噂に過ぎないわ。ee, bakageta uwasa ni suginai wa.Yes, it is nothing more than a ridiculous rumor.
- 大翔 Hiroto誰も信じないだろうよ。dare mo shinjinai darou yo.I doubt anyone will believe it.
- 美咲 Misaki大翔君の言う通りね。hiroto-kun no iu toori ne.You are right, Hiroto.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 馬鹿げた, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
