落書き
rakugaki[ɾa̠kɯ̟ɡa̠kʲi]
Scribbling in Japanese is 落書き (rakugaki).
The term 落書き refers to both harmless doodling or scribbling on paper and more malicious graffiti on walls or public property.
Did you know?
- While 落書き can mean graffiti, Japan has a unique cultural phenomenon of 'toilet graffiti' in old public restrooms that historically served as anonymous community message boards.
- The word is composed of the characters for 'fall' and 'write', making the literal meaning 'fall-writing'.
- The term 落書き is often used in Japanese social media to describe rough digital sketches that the artist considers 'incomplete' or 'unpolished'.
Examples in context
- ノートに落書きをしています。Nōto ni rakugaki o shite imasu.I am scribbling in my notebook.
- 壁の落書きが目立ちます。Kabe no rakugaki ga medachimasu.The scribbling on the wall stands out.
- 子供が机に落書きした。Kodomo ga tsukue ni rakugaki shita.The child scribbled on the desk.
Example conversation
A student and a classmate are looking at a desk in a classroom.
- 蓮 Renこの机、落書きだらけだよ。Kono tsukue, rakugaki darake da yo.This desk is covered in scribbling.
- 美咲 Misaki本当だ、ひどいね。Hontō da, hidoi ne.You're right, it's terrible.
- 蓮 Ren誰がやったんだろうね。Dare ga yatta ndarō ne.I wonder who did it.
- 美咲 Misaki先生に報告しよう。Sensei ni hōkoku shiyō.Let's report it to the teacher.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 落書き, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
