バカくさい

ば

か

く

さ

い

Meanings

1

i-adjective

absurd; ridiculous; stupid

usually written using kana alone

Expresses that something is so foolish or unreasonable that it feels like a waste of time; often used when the speaker is exasperated.

こんな簡かん単たんなことで失しっ敗ぱいするなんて、バカくさい。
It's ridiculous to fail at something this simple.

彼かれの言いい訳わけを聞きいて、バカくさくなった。

After hearing his excuse, I felt it was absurd.

Written forms

バカくさい
kana-only spelling
Kana spelling is standard; usually written in kana. The katakana バカ is common for emphasis.
馬ば鹿か臭くさい
Kanji spelling is possible but rare; the word is usually written in kana.

Kanji

馬horse
鹿deer
臭stinking, ill-smelling, suspicious looking

Similar words

馬ば鹿か馬ば鹿かしい
Similar meaning but more emphatic and often used for something outrageously foolish. バカくさい is more casual and implies a sense of personal annoyance or waste.
馬ば鹿からしい
Very close in meaning; バカらしい is slightly more common and can be used in slightly more formal contexts, while バカくさい feels more colloquial and dismissive.

Etymology

Compound of 馬鹿 (baka, 'foolish') + 臭い (kusai, 'smelling of'), literally 'smelling of foolishness'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it follows a common pattern of attaching 臭い to a noun to mean 'reeking of that quality'.