あわてん坊ぼう

also: あわてんぼ

あ

わ

て

ん

ぼ

う

Meanings

1

noun

flustered person; hasty person; scatterbrain

usually written using kana alonecolloquial

Colloquial term for someone who easily panics, rushes, or makes careless mistakes. Often used affectionately or teasingly.

弟おとうとはあわてん坊ぼうで、よく忘わすれ物ものをする。
My younger brother is a scatterbrain and often forgets things.

あわてん坊ぼうの私わたしは、試し験けんのときに焦あせってしまう。

Being a flustered person, I panic during exams.

Written forms

あわてん坊Usage45%
- あわてんぼう
  Common mixed kanji-kana spelling. The 坊 part is often written in kanji.
- あわてんぼ
あわてんぼうUsage45%
Kana-only spelling is very common and matches usual-kana usage.
慌てん坊Usage9%
- あわてんぼう
  Full kanji spelling, less common but still seen.
- あわてんぼ
あわてんぼ
Shortened colloquial form, often used in casual speech.

Kanji

坊boy, priest's residence, priest
慌disconcerted, be confused, lose one's head

Similar words

慌あわてる
The verb meaning 'to panic' or 'to be flustered'; あわてん坊 is the noun for a person who does this.
そそっかしい
An adjective meaning 'careless' or 'thoughtless'; describes the trait rather than the person.

Etymology

Derived from the verb 慌てる (あわてる, 'to panic') with the suffix ん坊 (ぼう), a colloquial nominalizer often used for people with a certain trait (e.g., 食いしん坊, 甘えん坊). The exact origin of the ん is uncertain but likely a contraction from an older form.