How do you say "messy" in Japanese?

乱雑な

Ranzan na

Adjective Kanji

In Japanese, "messy" is 乱雑な (Ranzan na).

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Pronunciation

乱雑な is written using kanji. Romanised as Ranzan na, it sounds roughly like "rah-n-zah-n-nah" to an English ear.

Writing and usage

Ranzan na (乱雑な) is a formal na-adjective for disorder. In everyday speech, chirakatte iru (cluttered or strewn about) is much more commonly heard.

Example sentence

彼の部屋はとても乱雑です。

Kare no heya wa totemo ranzan desu.

His room is very messy.

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How to remember 乱雑な

Ranzan suggests chaos and things thrown around randomly. Picture items scattered in all directions with no organization.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

See more Japanese adjectives.

Questions about 乱雑な

How do you pronounce 乱雑な?

乱雑な is romanised as Ranzan na. Say it roughly like "rah-n-zah-n-nah" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 乱雑な formal or casual?

乱雑な is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is 乱雑な written in Japanese?

乱雑な is written using kanji. Ranzan na (乱雑な) is a formal na-adjective for disorder.

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

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"Messy" in other languages

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