Translation guide
The English word 'sprawl' can refer to physical posture, uncontrolled urban expansion, or spreading out in a disorderly way. This guide helps learners express these ideas naturally in Japanese.
He was so tired he sprawled out on the floor.
Means 'sit with arms and legs stretched out'. More literal and less idiomatic than 大の字になる, but clear.
He was sitting sprawled out on the sofa.
Suggests sitting in a limp, relaxed, almost boneless way. Conveys a sense of laziness or exhaustion.
She was sprawled limply in the chair.
Refer to the uncontrolled expansion of a city into the countryside.
The standard term for urban sprawl. スプロール comes from English 'sprawl'.
Urban sprawl is a serious problem in this area.
A more descriptive phrase meaning 'disorderly expansion of a city'. Used in formal or explanatory contexts.
Means 'suburbanization'. Often used in urban planning contexts, but doesn't fully capture the negative nuance of 'sprawl'.
Describe things like plants, objects, or writing that spread out in a messy, uncontrolled way.
Intransitive verb meaning 'to spread out'. Can be used for physical things like vines or cities. Often combined with adverbs like 無秩序に (disorderly).
Ivy is sprawling all over the wall.
Means 'to continue on and on in a messy, rambling way'. Often used for writing, speeches, or landscapes.
Means 'to overgrow' or 'to become rampant'. Has a negative nuance, often used for weeds or undesirable things spreading.
大の字になる specifically means lying on your back with arms and legs spread like the kanji 大. It's very visual and common. 手足を伸ばして座る is more literal and can be used for sitting postures, but it's less idiomatic.
The loanword スプロール is only used in the context of urban sprawl (スプロール現象). It cannot be used to describe a person's posture.
We need to prevent the disorderly expansion of cities.
As suburbanization progresses, traffic problems worsen.
His writing sprawls on and on, and I can't grasp the main point.
雑草が庭にはびこっている。
Weeds are sprawling all over the garden.