Japanese word

愚か

Pronunciation

Romajioroka

Meaning

  • na-adjectivefoolish

Example

その考えは愚かです。so no kanga e wa oro ka de su

That idea is foolish.

Illustration for 愚か (foolish)

More examples

同じ失敗を何度も繰り返すのは愚かです。ona ji ship pai o nan do mo ku ri kae su no wa oro ka de su

It is foolish to repeat the same mistake many times.

Core concept

Expresses that someone or something fails to show the judgment expected in a particular situation.

Common phrases

  • 愚かな選択oro ka na sen taku

    foolish choice

  • 愚かな発言oro ka na hatsu gen

    foolish remark

  • 愚かな行動oro ka na kō dō

    foolish behavior

Similar words

馬鹿baka: Describes a person, idea, or decision that shows poor sense.
浅はかasahaka: Describes a judgment formed without enough thought about its results.
間抜けmanuke: Describes a mistake or person that fails to notice something clear.

Definition in Japanese

考えや行動に分別がなく、判断が適切でないさま。kanga e ya kō dō ni bun betsu ga na ku han dan ga teki setsu de na i sa ma

Word origin

The native Japanese adjectival noun 愚か (oroka, "foolish") comes from the older form おろか (oroka), while 愚 (gu, "foolish") was adopted as its semantic kanji spelling.

Usage tips

  • Unlike stupid, 愚か (oroka) can criticize a choice or belief without necessarily describing a person's intelligence.

Other meanings

  • stupidna-adjective
  • sillyna-adjective

Opposites

Related words

  • 愚かさorokasafoolishnessnoun
  • 愚か者orokamonofoolnoun

Word lists with this word