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ぼやく Japanese meaning | Kotomora

ぼやく

ぼ

や

く

JLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

godan verb (-ku), intransitive verb

grumble; complain

Casual, often muttered complaint about minor annoyances; not for formal protests.

彼かれはいつも給きゅう料りょうが安やすいとぼやいている。
He's always grumbling that his salary is low.
天てん気きが悪わるいと、ついぼやいて

しまう

。

When the weather is bad, I can't help but complain.

Written forms

ぼやくUsage87%
Standard hiragana spelling; no kanji form is given.
ボヤくUsage13%
Katakana spelling used for emphasis or casual tone.

Similar words

文もん句くを言いう
More direct and explicit complaint; ぼやく is a softer, muttered grumble.
愚ぐ痴ちる
Similar casual grumbling, but 愚痴る often implies venting frustrations to someone else.

Etymology

The origin is uncertain; it may be related to the mimetic word ぼやぼや (absent-minded, vague), suggesting a vague, muttered complaint.