やたら

や

た

ら

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

1

adverb, adverb taking the 'to' particle

indiscriminately; recklessly; excessively

usually written using kana alone

Adverbial use, often as やたらに or やたらと. It can mean doing something without proper judgment or doing/being something to an excessive degree.

やたらに人ひとを信しん用ようしないほうがいい。

It is better not to trust people indiscriminately.

今日きょうはやたら暑あつい。

It is unusually hot today.

2

na-adjective

indiscriminate; random; excessive

usually written using kana alone

Na-adjective use, as in やたらな. It describes something careless, random, unfounded, or excessive.

やたらなことを言いうと、あとで困こまるよ。
If you say careless things, you will have trouble later.
やたらな約やく束そくはしないほうがいい。
You should not make promises recklessly.

Usage patterns

やたらと〈動どう詞し〉to do something indiscriminately or excessively
彼かれはやたらと人ひとに電でん話わをかける。
He calls people all the time for no particular reason.
やたらな〈事こと〉a reckless or unfounded (thing/remark)
やたらなことを言いうと信しん用ようを失うしなう。
If you say reckless things, you'll lose people's trust.
やたら〈形けい容よう詞し〉unusually/excessively (adjective)
今日きょうはやたら暑あつい。
It's unusually hot today.
やたらに〈動どう詞し〉to do something recklessly or without proper judgment
やたらに薬くすりを飲のむのはよくない。
It's not good to take medicine indiscriminately.

Kanji

矢dart, arrow
鱈codfish, (kokuji)

Related words

むやみN1sense 1
むやみ and やたら both describe acting without proper judgment or to excess, but やたら is the more colloquial everyday intensifier, as in やたら暑い, while むやみ sounds slightly more formal.
やけにN1sense 1
やけに and やたら can both intensify an adjective to mean 'unusually/excessively', but やけに carries a stronger sense of surprise at an unexpected degree, while やたら simply marks excess or lack of restraint.
無む性しょうにN1sense 1
無性に and やたら both intensify a desire or state ('terribly, uncontrollably'), but 無性に is mostly used with feelings like 食べたい, while やたら has a broader range including reckless actions.
むやみにN1
やたら is a casual way to say 'excessively/recklessly' often implying high frequency, while むやみに stresses acting without thought or reason.
滅めっ多たN1
やたら freely modifies verbs and adjectives to mean 'excessively' or 'randomly', while 滅多 is mostly locked into negative constructions like 滅多に〜ない or set phrases.

Opposites

適てき度どN3sense 1
適度 describes a moderate, well-balanced degree, the opposite of やたら's sense of excessive or indiscriminate degree.

Don't confuse with

でたらめN3sense 2
でたらめ means random, irresponsible, or false, with a stronger implication of dishonesty, whereas やたら simply describes doing something indiscriminately or to excess without that connotation of falsehood.

Written forms

やたらUsage99%
It is usually written in kana; this is the normal practical spelling.
矢や鱈たらUsage1%
ateji (phonetic kanji usage)rarely-used kanji form
Rare ateji kanji spelling given; useful for recognition but not recommended for ordinary writing.

Etymology

The historical derivation is uncertain. The kanji spelling 矢鱈 is ateji, meaning the characters are used for their sound rather than as a transparent meaning-based spelling.