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Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

だらだらする · noun or participle which takes 'suru'

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

Meanings

adverb, adverb taking the 'to' particle

dripping; trickling; flowing continuously

onomatopoeic or mimetic word

Describes liquid falling or flowing in a steady, unbroken stream, often with a sense of messiness or lack of control.

汗あせがだらだらと流ながれている。
Sweat is dripping steadily.

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

gently sloping; gradually descending

onomatopoeic or mimetic word

Used for a long, gentle slope, often with 坂 or 下り. Less common than the other senses.

この道みちはだらだらと下くだっている。
This road slopes down gently.

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

sluggishly; lazily; idly; endlessly

onomatopoeic or mimetic word

Describes doing something slowly, without energy or purpose, often dragging on for too long. Covers both physical sluggishness and drawn-out, idle behavior.

休きゅう日じつは家いえでだらだら過すごした。
I spent the holiday lazing around at home.
会かい議ぎがだらだらと続つづいた。
The meeting dragged on endlessly.

See all 60 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈物もの〉がだらだら流ながれるfor a liquid to flow/drip continuously
汗あせがだらだら流ながれて止とまらない。
Sweat kept streaming down without stopping.
だらだらした〈場ば所しょ〉a long, gently sloping place (e.g. a slope)
だらだらした坂さかを上のぼっていった。
I climbed a long, gently sloping hill.
〈時とき〉をだらだら過すごすto spend a period of time idly, doing nothing productive
休きゅう日じつは家いえでだらだら過すごしてしまった。
I ended up idling away my day off at home.
〈事こと〉がだらだら続つづくfor something (a meeting, situation, etc.) to drag on pointlessly
会かい議ぎがだらだら続つづいて終おわらない。
The meeting just dragged on and on without ending.

Related words· 10

のろのろN3sense 3
のろのろ focuses on slow physical movement (like a slow-moving car), while だらだら emphasizes lack of energy or purpose in an activity that drags on too long.
ぐずぐずN1sense 3
ぐずぐず describes hesitating or dawdling before acting, whereas だらだら describes an activity itself continuing sluggishly once it has started.
ずるずるN1sense 3
ずるずる emphasizes something being dragged out or postponed repeatedly, while だらだら emphasizes the lack of energy or focus during a prolonged activity.
グダグダ
ダラダラ describes a continuous, sluggish or dragging-on action, while グダグダ adds a stronger sense of tedium, disorder, or slovenliness.

Show 6 more

長なが々ながN1
だらだら emphasizes a lazy, aimless dragging-on, while 長々 focuses on the sheer excessive length of something like a speech or explanation.
漫まん然ぜんN1
漫然 is a formal, literary word for doing something without purpose or focus, while だらだら is a casual, onomatopoeic word for doing something sluggishly or letting it drag on.
ぽたぽたN1
だらだら describes a continuous, sluggish flow of liquid, while ぽたぽた focuses on distinct, separate drops.
ごろごろN3
だらだら emphasizes dragging on sluggishly or dripping continuously, while ゴロゴロ focuses on lying around idly with no particular motion.
延えん々えんN1
だらだら describes a sloppy, aimless dragging-on (often with disapproval), whereas 延々 simply emphasizes that something continues for a very long time.
くどくどN1
だらだら describes talk or activity that drags on formlessly, while くどくど focuses on needless repetition of the same points.

Opposites

きびきびN2sense 3
きびきび describes brisk, energetic action, the opposite of だらだら's sluggish, unfocused dragging-on.

Don't confuse with

たらたらN1sense 1
だらだら and たらたら sound alike and both describe dripping liquid, but たらたら suggests a slower, more intermittent drip and can carry a complaining tone, while だらだら suggests a steady, unbroken flow or drawn-out laziness.

Word family

だらだら坂ざか
long gentle slope

Written forms

だらだらUsage56%
Standard hiragana spelling for this mimetic adverb.
ダラダラUsage44%
Katakana spelling used for emphasis or in informal writing.

Etymology

Mimetic word; the exact origin is uncertain, but the reduplicated form suggests a sound-symbolic representation of continuous, unenergetic action or flow.