also: いんちき
Refers to dishonest or deceptive acts, especially in games, business, or exams. Often used as a noun or with な to describe something fraudulent.
That shop is running a fraudulent business.
Cheating on an exam is the worst.
Describes something that is not genuine, such as a product, claim, or person pretending to have skills. Often used attributively with な.
This watch is a fake; it broke right away.
He is rumored to be a quack doctor.
He cheated on the test.
His cheating was exposed, and everyone came to dislike him.
That company had been committing fraud in its dealings.
He was selling bogus medicine at a high price.
インチキ is a colloquial word for something fake or rigged, often about scams, while ずる is broader and often used for small, personal acts of cheating.
インチキ is a casual, often exasperated word for cheating or fakery, while ごまかし is a more neutral term covering any kind of deception or fudging.
いんちき is a casual, everyday word for cheating or a fake, whereas 細工 (negative sense) sounds more deliberate and technical, like rigging a mechanism or document.