JLPT N1Spoken, casualLively

まくるdo like mad; over and over

まくる on a verb says you did it like mad: a huge amount, again and again, with nothing held back. It is casual and lively: a boast about a great weekend, or a groan about a bad one.

セールで服ふくを買かいまくって、今こん月げつはもうお金かねがない。

I went wild buying clothes in the sale, and now I have no money left this month.

How to form it

Verb ます-stem + まくる

食たべます → 食たべまくる, します → しまくる. まくる itself changes like a godan verb (う-verb): まくった, まくって, まくっている.

Before it: Something you can do a lot of: 食たべる, 飲のむ, 買かう, しゃべる, 遊あそぶ, 寝ねる, 写しゃ真しんを撮とる.
Tone: Slangy, not rude.
Where you'll meet it: Talk among friends, social media, manga. Not formal speech or writing.

In use

A

北ほっ海かい道どう、どうだった？

How was Hokkaido?

B

最さい高こう。朝あさから晩ばんまで食たべまくったよ。

Fantastic. I ate like mad from morning till night.

A

遅おそかったね。

You took your time.

B

ごめん。道みちに迷まよいまくってさ。

Sorry. I kept getting lost.

彼かの女じょは一人ひとりで二に時じ間かんしゃべりまくった。

She did all the talking, for two hours straight.

チケットを取とるために、朝あさから電でん話わをかけまくった。

To get tickets, I called again and again from first thing in the morning.

会かい議ぎで質しつ問もんされまくって、答こたえるだけで疲つかれた。

I was bombarded with questions at the meeting, and just answering them wore me out.

The passive takes it too: it was done to you over and over.

In the same loose talk, things that happen take it too.

物ぶっ価かが上あがりまくって、節せつ約やくしても追おいつかない。

Prices just keep shooting up, and cutting back isn't enough to keep pace.

Close neighbours

すぎるN5

"Too much": more than is good, a regret or a complaint. まくる has no "too" in it. It says how much, and is as often a boast.

昨日きのうは飲のみすぎました。

I drank too much yesterday.

続つづけるN4

Plain "keep on": it didn't stop. まくる is about how much and how hard, not how long.

彼かれは一いち時じ間かん話はなし続つづけた。

He kept talking for an hour.

っぱなしN3

The whole time without a break, and usually it was too much for someone.

彼かれは会かい議ぎ中ちゅうずっとしゃべりっぱなしだった。

He talked nonstop throughout the meeting.

Check yourself

1What is this person saying?

連れん休きゅうは温おん泉せんに入はいりまくった。

Choose an answer to see why.

2Where would you hear this?

昨日きのうは先せん輩ぱいと朝あさまで飲のみまくった。

Choose an answer to see why.

More detail

As a noun it is まくり.

夏なつ休やすみは遊あそびまくりの毎まい日にちだった。

My summer vacation was nonstop fun, day after day.

By itself, まくる means to roll something up: 袖そでをまくる, roll up your sleeves.

More sentences

週しゅう末まつは友とも達だちと朝あさまで踊おどりまくった。

Over the weekend, I danced like crazy with my friends until morning.

試し合あい中ちゅう、彼かれはシュートを打うちまくった。

During the game, he took shot after shot.

夏なつ休やすみは海うみで泳およぎまくるぞ。

This summer vacation, I'm going to swim like crazy in the ocean!

失しっ敗ぱいしまくったけど、その分ぶんコツが分わかった。

I messed up over and over, but that's how I got the hang of it.