Translation guide
Describes something with an uneven surface or texture, often with small raised areas or clumps. In Japanese, this is expressed through various adjectives and descriptive phrases depending on what is lumpy and why.
The road is lumpy.
The sauce is lumpy.
Describing a surface that is not smooth, with small bumps or irregularities.
A common mimetic word for an uneven, bumpy surface. Can be used as a noun or na-adjective.
This road is bumpy.
Kanji form of でこぼこ, more common in written language.
Mimetic word for a surface with many small bumps or dents, often implying a hollow sound when tapped. More casual.
Describing food or mixtures that have small solid pieces or clumps, not smooth.
Used for flour, powder, or liquid mixtures that form lumps. Literally 'become lumps'.
Describing a part of the body that has a swollen, uneven shape due to injury or condition.
A bump or swelling on the body, like from a hit. Often used as a noun.
Describing a mattress, pillow, or cushion that has uneven filling, making it uncomfortable.
でこぼこ is the standard word for general unevenness. ぼこぼこ emphasizes a surface with many small bumps or dents, often with a hollow sound, and is more casual.
The mashed potatoes are lumpy.
The wall is lumpy, so the paint won't go on smoothly.
凸凹のある地形
uneven terrain
この缶はぼこぼこだ。
This can is all dented and lumpy.
Add water little by little so the flour doesn't get lumpy.
The sauce has gone lumpy.
Mimetic word for small grains or lumps, often used positively for texture in food like tapioca or fruit pulp.
This jam is delicious with its lumpy texture (fruit bits).
Means 'lump' or 'clump'. Can describe a lumpy mass, but more often refers to a solid chunk.
There are lumps floating in the soup.
I got a lump on my head.
Means 'swollen'. Can describe a lumpy appearance due to swelling.
My ankle is swollen and looks lumpy.
This pillow is lumpy and uncomfortable to sleep on.
Mimetic word for a stiff, rough, or lumpy texture, often used for fabric or bedding that has lost its softness.
This futon is lumpy and stiff.
dented, lumpy can
Do not use 塊 (かたまり) for 'lumpy' in most contexts. 塊 means a solid lump or mass, not a bumpy texture. For food lumps, use だま; for surface bumps, use でこぼこ.
I don't like lumpy pillows.