Translation guide
How to express meaningless, unintelligible speech or writing in Japanese, from nonsense words to technical jargon.
Describing speech or text that is meaningless, unintelligible, or sounds like made-up words.
The most common and versatile word for 'gibberish' or 'nonsense'. Can be used for speech, writing, or actions that are random, absurd, or untrue.
Mimicking the sound of gibberish or meaningless chatter, often for comedic effect or to represent foreign/alien speech.
Referring to language that is overly technical, specialized, or convoluted, making it sound like gibberish to a layperson.
でたらめ focuses on the content being nonsense or random, while ちんぷんかんぷん focuses on the listener's inability to understand. Use でたらめ when criticizing the speaker's words as absurd, and ちんぷんかんぷん when expressing your own confusion.
彼の言うことはでたらめだ。
What he says is nonsense.
彼の言うことは私にはちんぷんかんぷんだ。
What he says is gibberish to me.
There is no single Japanese word that perfectly matches 'gibberish' in all contexts. Avoid trying to translate it directly; instead, choose the expression that best fits the specific nuance (nonsense, unintelligibility, or sound imitation).
彼はでたらめなことを言っている。
He's talking gibberish.
その文章はでたらめだ。
That text is gibberish.
Means 'completely unintelligible', often used when you can't understand something at all, like a foreign language or technical jargon. Emphasizes the listener's confusion.
専門用語が多くてちんぷんかんぷんだ。
There's so much jargon, it's all gibberish to me.
彼の説明はちんぷんかんぷんだった。
His explanation was gibberish.
Literally 'meaning unclear'. A straightforward way to say something is incomprehensible or doesn't make sense. Can be used as a noun or adjective.
そのメッセージは意味不明だ。
That message is gibberish.
A phrase meaning 'incomprehensible' or 'making no sense'. Often used attributively to describe speech or writing.
彼はわけのわからないことを言った。
He said something that was gibberish.
Loanword from English 'nonsense'. Used similarly but can sound slightly more literary or formal. Often used in titles or critiques.
その詩はまったくのナンセンスだ。
That poem is pure gibberish.
An onomatopoeia for fluent but possibly meaningless chatter. Often used to mimic the sound of a foreign language being spoken rapidly.
彼は何かペラペラしゃべっていたが、私には理解できなかった。
He was chattering away in gibberish, but I couldn't understand.
A placeholder word used to represent unintelligible or omitted speech, similar to 'blah blah blah' or 'yadda yadda'.
彼は「ほにゃらら」と言ってごまかした。
He said 'gibberish' and dodged the question.
A magical incantation phrase, like 'abracadabra'. Can be used humorously to represent meaningless magical words.
魔法使いはちちんぷいぷいと唱えた。
The wizard chanted some gibberish.
Literally 'technical terms'. Used when jargon makes something sound like gibberish. Often combined with ちんぷんかんぷん.
医者の説明は専門用語ばかりで、私にはちんぷんかんぷんだった。
The doctor's explanation was full of jargon; it was gibberish to me.
Bureaucratic language or officialese that is convoluted and hard to understand, often perceived as gibberish.
その通知はお役所言葉で書かれていて、意味がわからなかった。
The notice was written in bureaucratic gibberish and I couldn't understand it.