Translation guide
The English word 'dodgy' is informal and covers a range of negative qualities: suspicious, unreliable, risky, or of poor quality. Japanese has no single equivalent; the best choice depends on what exactly is 'dodgy'.
Describing a person, offer, or situation that seems dishonest or not trustworthy.
The most common and versatile word for 'dodgy' in the sense of suspicious, shady, or dubious. Can describe people, behavior, deals, etc.
That guy looks a bit dodgy.
Be careful of dodgy money-making schemes.
Stronger than 怪しい, implying something smells fishy or is clearly untrustworthy. Often used for people or offers.
That salesman seems really dodgy.
Implies something is morally questionable, indecent, or shady, often with a nuance of sleaziness. Used for businesses or people.
A street lined with dodgy shops.
Describing something that is likely to fail, break down, or not function as expected.
Literally 'in bad condition', this is the most natural way to say a machine, vehicle, or body part is acting up or unreliable.
My car's been a bit dodgy lately.
This computer is dodgy; it freezes a lot.
Means 'unstable' and is used for systems, connections, or plans that are unreliable or likely to fail.
Means 'unreliable' or 'not to be counted on'. Used for people, information, or things.
What he says is dodgy (unreliable).
Describing something that involves risk or potential harm.
The basic word for 'dangerous' or 'risky'. Can be used for physical danger or risky decisions.
Don't do such a dodgy thing (take such a risk).
Loanword from English 'risky', used in similar contexts, often for financial or strategic risks.
Describing something that is badly made or of low quality.
There is no single Japanese word that covers all uses of 'dodgy'. Choose the option that best matches the specific meaning you want to convey. Using 怪しい for a broken machine would sound odd; use 調子が悪い instead.
The internet connection is dodgy.
その投資はちょっとリスキーだね。
That investment is a bit dodgy.