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.
He's talking gibberish.
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.
There's so much jargon, it's all gibberish to me.
Literally 'meaning unclear'. A straightforward way to say something is incomprehensible or doesn't make sense. Can be used as a noun or adjective.
That message is gibberish.
A phrase meaning 'incomprehensible' or 'making no sense'. Often used attributively to describe speech or writing.
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.
That poem is pure gibberish.
Mimicking the sound of gibberish or meaningless chatter, often for comedic effect or to represent foreign/alien speech.
An onomatopoeia for fluent but possibly meaningless chatter. Often used to mimic the sound of a foreign language being spoken rapidly.
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'.
Referring to language that is overly technical, specialized, or convoluted, making it sound like gibberish to a layperson.
Literally 'technical terms'. Used when jargon makes something sound like gibberish. Often combined with ちんぷんかんぷん.
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.
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.
What he says is nonsense.
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).
His explanation was gibberish.
彼は「ほにゃらら」と言ってごまかした。
He said 'gibberish' and dodged the question.
The wizard chanted some gibberish.
The notice was written in bureaucratic gibberish and I couldn't understand it.