Japanese word

くだらない

Pronunciation

Romajikudaranai

Meaning

  • i-adjectivesilly

Example

その話はくだらないです。so no hanashi wa ku da ra na i de su

That story is silly.

Illustration for くだらない (silly)

More examples

そんなくだらないことに時間を使わないでください。so n na ku da ra na i ko to ni ji kan o tsuka wa na i de ku da sa i

Please do not spend time on such a pointless thing.

Core concept

Presents something as too foolish, unimportant, or useless to deserve serious attention.

Common phrases

  • くだらない話ku da ra na i hanashi

    silly story

  • くだらない冗談ku da ra na i jō dan

    silly joke

  • くだらないことを言うku da ra na i ko to o yū

    say silly things

Similar words

つまらないtsumaranai: Describes something as lacking interest or importance and not worth much attention.
ばかばかしいbakabakashii: Describes something as absurdly foolish or unreasonable.

Definition in Japanese

ばかばかしくて取り上げる価値がなく、役に立たないさま。ba ka ba ka shi ku te to ri a ge ru ka chi ga na ku yaku ni ta ta na i sa ma

Word origin

The origin of くだらない (kudaranai) is uncertain; it is commonly analyzed as the negative form of 下る (kudaru, "to go down"), although the semantic path to "silly" is unclear.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Japanese, くだらない (kudaranai) can dismiss an idea, joke, or argument as silly without necessarily expressing strong anger.

Other meanings

  • triviali-adjective
  • worthlessi-adjective
  • pointlessi-adjective

Opposites

  • 有意義yūigimeaningfulna-adjective

Related words

  • くだらなさkudaranasasillinessnoun

Word lists with this word