Translation guide
The English verb "ruffle" has several distinct meanings, from physically disturbing a smooth surface to emotionally unsettling someone. This guide covers the most common uses for learners.
Express the action of making something like hair, feathers, or fabric uneven or messy, often by touching or wind.
General verb meaning to disturb, disorder, or mess up. Commonly used for hair, feathers, or order.
風が彼女の髪を乱した。
The wind ruffled her hair.
鳥が羽を乱した。
The bird ruffled its feathers.
Colloquial phrase meaning to crumple, ruffle, or mess up, often used for hair or paper.
彼は子供の髪をくしゃくしゃにした。
He ruffled the child's hair.
Specifically means to ruffle feathers or fur against the grain, often in anger or fear. Used for animals.
猫が毛を逆立てた。
The cat ruffled its fur.
Describe a light disturbance on water, like ripples caused by wind or an object.
Transitive verb meaning to make waves or ripples on water. Often used for wind.
風が湖面を波立たせた。
The wind ruffled the surface of the lake.
Literally 'make ripples'. A natural phrase for light ruffling of water.
そよ風が池にさざ波を立てた。
The breeze ruffled the pond.
Express causing mild irritation or emotional disturbance, often in the phrase 'ruffle someone's feathers'.
Common phrase meaning to hurt someone's feelings or get on their nerves. Used for mild annoyance.
彼の冗談は彼女の気に障った。
His joke ruffled her.
Idiom meaning to rub someone the wrong way, literally 'stroke nerves backwards'. Stronger than 'ruffle' but fits the feather metaphor.
彼の態度は私の神経を逆なでした。
His attitude ruffled my feathers.
Means to disturb or unsettle emotionally. More formal and stronger than 'ruffle'.
その知らせは彼を動揺させた。
The news ruffled him.
Describe the action of rapidly turning pages, often producing a ruffling sound.
Onomatopoeic verb for flipping through pages lightly and quickly. Very common.
彼は本のページをぱらぱらめくった。
He ruffled the pages of the book.
Similar to ぱらぱらめくる but implies a rougher, more careless flipping.
風で書類がばらばらめくられた。
The wind ruffled the papers.
Refer to the sewing technique of gathering fabric to create decorative frills.
Standard phrase meaning 'to attach a frill/ruffle'. Uses the loanword フリル.
彼女はスカートにフリルをつけた。
She ruffled the skirt.
Sewing term for gathering fabric. ギャザー means 'gathers'.
布にギャザーを寄せてフリルを作る。
Ruffle the fabric to make a frill.
English 'ruffle someone's feathers' is an idiom. Direct translation like 羽を乱す is not used metaphorically in Japanese. Use 気に障る or 神経を逆なでする instead.
乱す is a general verb for disturbing order or smoothness. くしゃくしゃにする is more casual and implies a crumpled, messy result, often used for hair or paper.