Translation guide
The English word 'lame' can describe physical difficulty walking, something uncool or unimpressive, or a weak excuse. This guide covers natural Japanese expressions for each meaning.
Describing a person or animal that has difficulty walking due to injury or disability.
A polite and common way to say someone has difficulty walking. Literally 'legs are not free'.
彼は事故で足が不自由になった。
He became lame after an accident.
Means 'to drag one's leg', describing the action of walking with difficulty.
彼女はけがをして足を引きずっている。
She is limping because of an injury.
A colloquial and somewhat blunt way to say 'limp'. Can be considered insensitive, so use with caution.
May be offensive; prefer 足が不自由な in polite contexts.
犬がびっこを引いている。
The dog is limping.
Describing something that is not cool, stylish, or exciting, often used in casual conversation.
The most common slang for 'uncool' or 'lame'. Used for fashion, ideas, behavior, etc.
その服、ダサいよ。
Those clothes are lame.
彼の冗談はいつもダサい。
His jokes are always lame.
Literally 'bad style', meaning uncool or embarrassing. Slightly less slangy than ダサい.
Means 'boring' or 'dull'. Can be used when 'lame' means uninteresting.
Means 'shabby', 'weak', or 'lame' in the sense of being underwhelming or pathetic.
Describing an excuse, reason, or argument that is not believable or effective.
Often used in the phrase 苦しい言い訳 (kurushii iiwake) meaning 'lame excuse'. Implies the excuse is forced and unconvincing.
それは苦しい言い訳だね。
That's a lame excuse.
Means 'lacks persuasiveness'. A more formal way to say an argument is weak.
彼の主張は説得力がない。
His argument is lame.
Means 'clumsy' or 'poor'. Used in 下手な言い訳 (heta na iiwake) for a poorly constructed excuse.
下手な言い訳はやめて。
Stop making lame excuses.
The English word 'lame' can be offensive when referring to a person with a disability. In Japanese, 足が不自由な is a respectful term. Avoid direct translations like ラメ or びっこ in formal situations.
足の不自由な方のための設備
Facilities for people with mobility impairments
Both mean 'uncool', but ダサい is stronger and more slangy, often implying a lack of fashion sense or being outdated. かっこ悪い is more about looking bad or embarrassing in a specific situation.
あの帽子はダサい。
That hat is lame (unfashionable).
転んでかっこ悪かった。
I fell and it was lame (embarrassing).
転んでかっこ悪かった。
I fell and it was lame (embarrassing).
そんなことするのはかっこ悪いよ。
Doing that is lame.
その映画はつまらなかった。
That movie was lame.
The prize was lame.