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まちまち (machimachi) Japanese meaning: various | Kotomora

まちまち

ま

ち

ま

ち

Common word›JLPTN1›

Meanings

1

noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', na-adjective, noun

various; diverse; different; divided; conflicting

usually written using kana alone

Describes a state where things are not uniform; opinions, sizes, results, etc. are varied or inconsistent. Often used with ～だ, ～の, or ～になる.

意い見けんがまちまちで、なかなか決きまらない。

Opinions are divided, so it's hard to reach a decision.

参さん加か者しゃのレベルはまちまちだった。

The participants' levels were varied.

Usage patterns

〈事こと〉がまちまちだ[things] vary / are inconsistent
みんなの意い見けんがまちまちで、なかなか決きまらない。
Everyone's opinions vary so much that we can't easily decide.
〈物もの〉の大おおきさがまちまちだthe sizes of [things] are inconsistent
売うっているりんごの大おおきさがまちまちだった。
The apples for sale were all different sizes.
〈事こと〉がまちまちに分わかれる[things] split into varying/conflicting positions
審しん査さ員いんの評ひょう価かはまちまちに分わかれた。
The judges' evaluations were split all over the place.

Kanji

区ward, district

Related words

様さま々ざまN3
様々 highlights a wide variety of kinds, while まちまち stresses that things are inconsistent or fail to match up.
いろいろN5
色々 is a general, neutral word for 'various', whereas まちまち adds a nuance of things being scattered or not aligned.
ばらばらN3
まちまち describes items or opinions varying from one another, while バラバラ can also describe physical pieces being scattered or broken apart.

Opposites

一いち様ようN1
一様 describes things being uniform or all the same, the opposite of まちまち's sense of inconsistency.

Written forms

まちまちUsage90%
Usually written in kana; the kanji forms 区々 and 区区 are rare.
区まち々まちUsage5%
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form; learners should use the kana spelling.
マチマチUsage5%
区まち区まち
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form; learners should use the kana spelling.

Etymology

Derived from reduplication of まち (machi), an old word meaning 'difference' or 'discrepancy'. The kanji 区 (ward, district) is used for its meaning of division, but the word is now almost always written in kana.