Translation guide
The act of making something seem larger, better, worse, or more important than it really is.
To describe something as bigger, more extreme, or more significant than it actually is.
To use hyperbole or overstatement as a rhetorical device, often in casual conversation.
A casual, loanword-based phrase meaning 'to exaggerate' or 'to overdo it'. 'オーバー' comes from 'over'.
ちょっとオーバーに言っただけだよ。
I was just exaggerating a little.
To describe over-the-top gestures, facial expressions, or dramatic behavior.
Means 'exaggerated gestures'. '身振り' refers to bodily gestures or movements.
彼は大げさな身振りで話す。
He speaks with exaggerated gestures.
English often uses 'exaggerate' as a verb, but Japanese prefers noun-based expressions like '誇張する' or adverbial phrases like '大げさに言う'. Simply saying '誇張する' is grammatically correct but can sound stiff; '大げさに言う' is more natural in conversation.
'誇張' is a more formal, objective term for exaggeration, often used in writing or serious discussion. '大げさ' is more subjective and commonly used in daily conversation to describe something as overblown or dramatic. '大げさに言う' is the most natural way to say 'to exaggerate' in casual speech.
彼が会社を救ったと言っても誇張ではない。
It's no exaggeration to say that he saved the company.
自分の業績を大げさに言うな。
Don't exaggerate your achievements.
That's an exaggeration.
彼の話には誇張が多い。
His stories are full of exaggeration.
A very common verb phrase meaning 'to exaggerate' or 'to overstate'. '大げさ' itself means 'exaggerated' or 'grandiose'.
彼はいつも大げさに言う。
He always exaggerates.
大げさに言わないで。
Don't exaggerate.
A na-adjective meaning 'exaggerated', 'overblown', or 'grandiose'. Often used to describe speech or reactions.
それは大げさな表現だ。
That's an exaggerated expression.
彼の反応は大げさだった。
His reaction was exaggerated.
Means 'overestimation' or 'exaggeration of value/importance'. More formal and often used in analytical contexts.
その報告書はリスクを過大評価している。
The report exaggerates the risks.
A slangy expression meaning 'to embellish a story' or 'to make a story more interesting by exaggerating'. Literally 'to heap up a story'.
彼は絶対話を盛ってるよ。
He's definitely exaggerating the story.
A compound meaning 'hyperbolic expression' or 'exaggerated phrasing'. Used in literary or rhetorical analysis.
この詩には誇張表現が多用されている。
This poem makes heavy use of exaggeration.
A loanword meaning 'overreaction' or 'exaggerated reaction'. Common in casual speech.
彼のオーバーリアクションが面白い。
His exaggerated reactions are funny.