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乱麻 (らんま, ranma) Japanese meaning: anarchy | Kotomora

乱らん麻ま

ら

ん

ま

Meanings

1

anarchy; chaos; utter confusion

Literary or formal term for a state of extreme disorder, like tangled hemp fibers. Often used in set phrases such as 乱麻の如し (like tangled hemp).

戦せん後ごの社しゃ会かいは乱らん麻まの如ごとき混こん乱らんに陥おちいった。
Postwar society fell into chaos like tangled hemp.

Kanji

乱riot, war, disorder
麻hemp, flax, numb

Related words

混こん乱らん
混乱 is the common, everyday word for confusion or disorder. 乱麻 is a more literary, figurative expression emphasizing tangled, inextricable chaos.
無む秩ちつ序じょ
無秩序 means 'disorder' or 'lack of order' in a neutral, descriptive sense. 乱麻 carries a stronger image of tangled, chaotic mess.

Word family

彼かれの机つくえの上うえはまさに乱らん麻まの状じょう態たいだ。

His desk is in a state of utter confusion.

快かい刀とう乱らん麻ま

cutting through difficulties with decisive skill

Etymology

Compound of 乱 (disorder) and 麻 (hemp). The image is of tangled hemp fibers, symbolizing a chaotic, inextricable situation. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term has been used in classical Chinese and Japanese literature.