あわてん坊ぼう

also: あわてんぼ

あ

わ

て

ん

ぼ

う

Meanings

1

noun

flustered person; hasty person; scatterbrain

usually written using kana alonecolloquial

Colloquial term for someone who easily panics, rushes, or makes careless mistakes. Often used affectionately or teasingly.

弟おとうとはあわてん坊ぼうで、よく忘わすれ物ものをする。

My younger brother is a scatterbrain and often forgets things.

あわてん坊ぼうの私わたしは、試し験けんのときに焦あせってしまう。

Being a flustered person, I panic during exams.

Kanji

坊boy, priest's residence, priest
慌disconcerted, be confused, lose one's head

Related words

そそっかしいN3
慌てん坊 is a noun labeling a person as a hasty, flustered type, while そそっかしい is the adjective describing that same careless, hasty quality.

Written forms

あわてん坊Usage45%
- あわてんぼう
  Common mixed kanji-kana spelling. The 坊 part is often written in kanji.
- あわてんぼ
あわてんぼうUsage45%
Kana-only spelling is very common and matches usual-kana usage.
慌てん坊Usage9%
- あわてんぼう
  Full kanji spelling, less common but still seen.
- あわてんぼ
あわてんぼ
Shortened colloquial form, often used in casual speech.

Etymology

Derived from the verb 慌てる (あわてる, 'to panic') with the suffix ん坊 (ぼう), a colloquial nominalizer often used for people with a certain trait (e.g., 食いしん坊, 甘えん坊). The exact origin of the ん is uncertain but likely a contraction from an older form.