ぐちゃぐちゃ

ぐ

ちゃ

ぐ

ちゃ

JLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

ぐちゃぐちゃする · noun or participle which takes 'suru'

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	ぐちゃぐちゃする	ぐちゃぐちゃしない
Polite	ぐちゃぐちゃします	ぐちゃぐちゃしません
Past polite	ぐちゃぐちゃしました	ぐちゃぐちゃしませんでした
Past	ぐちゃぐちゃした	ぐちゃぐちゃしなかった
Te-form	ぐちゃぐちゃして	ぐちゃぐちゃしないで
Desire	ぐちゃぐちゃしたい	ぐちゃぐちゃしたくない
Potential	ぐちゃぐちゃできる	ぐちゃぐちゃできない
Passive	ぐちゃぐちゃされる	ぐちゃぐちゃされない
Causative	ぐちゃぐちゃさせる	ぐちゃぐちゃさせない
Causative passive	ぐちゃぐちゃさせられる	ぐちゃぐちゃさせられない
Volitional	ぐちゃぐちゃしよう
Polite volitional	ぐちゃぐちゃしましょう
Imperative	ぐちゃぐちゃしろ	ぐちゃぐちゃするな
Conditional	ぐちゃぐちゃすれば	ぐちゃぐちゃしなければ
Tara conditional	ぐちゃぐちゃしたら	ぐちゃぐちゃしなかったら

Meanings

adverb, na-adjective, adverb taking the 'to' particle, noun or participle which takes 'suru'

pulpy; mushy; soggy

onomatopoeic or mimetic word

Describes something soft and wet that has lost its original shape, often unpleasantly so. Used for food, paper, or other materials that become mushy or pulpy.

雨あめで段だんボールがぐちゃぐちゃになった。
The cardboard got all mushy from the rain.
スープにパンを入いれすぎてぐちゃぐちゃだ。
I put too much bread in the soup and it's all soggy.

adverb, na-adjective, adverb taking the 'to' particle, noun or participle which takes 'suru'

messy; disordered; chaotic

onomatopoeic or mimetic word

Describes a state of disorder, untidiness, or confusion. Can refer to physical spaces, plans, thoughts, or situations that are jumbled and chaotic.

部屋へやがぐちゃぐちゃで足あしの踏ふみ場ばもない。
The room is so messy there's nowhere to step.
彼かれの説せつ明めいはぐちゃぐちゃで何なにもわからなかった。
His explanation was all jumbled and I couldn't understand anything.

See all 25 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈物もの〉がぐちゃぐちゃになるfor something to turn into a mushy/soggy mess
雨あめでノートがぐちゃぐちゃになった。
My notebook got all soggy and pulpy from the rain.
〈場ば所しょ〉がぐちゃぐちゃだa place is in a chaotic, messy state
引ひっ越こしの準じゅん備びで部屋へやがぐちゃぐちゃだ。
The room is a total mess because of packing for the move.
〈物もの〉をぐちゃぐちゃにするto crush/mash something into a mushy mess
子こ供どもがケーキをぐちゃぐちゃにして遊あそんでいた。
The child was playing around, mashing the cake into a mess.
頭あたまの中なかがぐちゃぐちゃになるfor one's thoughts to become jumbled and confused
急きゅうに質しつ問もんされて頭あたまの中なかがぐちゃぐちゃになった。
Being suddenly asked a question, my thoughts became a total jumble.

Related words

どろどろN1sense 1
どろどろ describes a thick, muddy or gooey liquid state, while ぐちゃぐちゃ can describe any soft, mushy, shapeless mess including solids like paper.
ごちゃごちゃN3sense 2
ごちゃごちゃ describes clutter or jumbled disorder like ぐちゃぐちゃ, but is used more for things being crammed together than for chaos of thought or plans.
べちゃべちゃ sense 1
べちゃべちゃ stresses a wet, sticky mess, while ぐちゃぐちゃ more broadly covers mushiness or loss of shape from moisture.
めちゃめちゃN1
ぐちゃぐちゃ describes a wet, mushy, or physically jumbled mess, while めちゃめちゃ is broader and can include abstract ruin or unreasonableness.
めちゃくちゃN3
ぐちゃぐちゃ usually describes a physically messy or crushed state, while 滅茶苦茶 can cover both physical and abstract disorder.

Opposites

きちんとN4sense 2
きちんと means neatly and in order, the opposite of ぐちゃぐちゃ's sense of messy disarray.

Don't confuse with

ぐしゃぐしゃ
ぐしゃぐしゃ emphasizes something crushed or crumpled flat, while ぐちゃぐちゃ focuses on wet mushiness or general disorder.
めちゃくちゃN3sense 2
めちゃくちゃ describes absurd, extreme chaos or destruction (and can mean 'extremely'), whereas ぐちゃぐちゃ is milder, describing physical sogginess or everyday clutter.

Written forms

ぐちゃぐちゃUsage68%
Standard hiragana spelling for this mimetic word.
グチャグチャUsage32%
Katakana variant, often used for emphasis or in informal writing.

Etymology

Mimetic word; the exact origin is uncertain, but it is likely derived from the sound or sensation of something wet and messy being stirred or crushed.