うすらとんかち

Meanings

noun

stupid person; slow-witted person; dimwit

usually written using kana alonecolloquial

Colloquial and mildly derogatory term for someone who is slow to understand or foolish.

あいつはうすらとんかちだから、何なん度ど言いってもわからない。
That guy is a dimwit, so no matter how many times you tell him, he doesn't get it.
そんな簡かん単たんなこともできないなんて、うすらとんかちだな。
You can't even do something that simple? What a slow-witted person.

Kanji

薄dilute, thin, weak (tea)

Related words

とんかち
とんかち alone can mean 'hammer' or, colloquially, 'blockhead'. うすらとんかち is a more emphatic and specific insult for a stupid person.
ばか
ばか is a more common and versatile insult for 'fool' or 'idiot'. うすらとんかち is more colloquial and less harsh, often implying slowness rather than outright stupidity.

Written forms

ウスラトンカチUsage100%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling, sometimes used for emphasis or in informal writing.
薄うすらとんかち
Kanji spelling is uncommon; the word is normally written in kana.

Etymology

The exact derivation is uncertain. It likely combines うすら (a prefix meaning 'slightly' or 'thin') with とんかち (a colloquial term for a blockhead or hammer), yielding a sense of 'a bit of a dimwit'.