ぶかぶか

ぶ

か

ぶ

か

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

ぶかぶかする · noun or participle which takes 'suru'

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

Meanings

noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', na-adjective, adverb, adverb taking the 'to' particle, noun or participle which takes 'suru'

too large; baggy; loose-fitting

onomatopoeic or mimetic word

Describes clothing or footwear that is noticeably too big, often with a negative or comical nuance. Commonly used as an adverb with する or as an adjective with な/の.

このコートは私わたしにはぶかぶかだ。
This coat is too big for me.
靴くつがぶかぶかで歩あるきにくい。
The shoes are so loose that it's hard to walk.

noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', na-adjective, adverb, adverb taking the 'to' particle, noun or participle which takes 'suru'

bulging; warping

onomatopoeic or mimetic word

Describes something swollen or distorted out of its normal shape, such as a warped board or a bulging surface. Less common than the clothing sense.

湿しっ気けで床ゆか板いたがぶかぶかになっている。
The floorboards have warped from the moisture.

adverb, noun or participle which takes 'suru'

toot; parp; blast

onomatopoeic or mimetic word

Mimetic sound for a horn, whistle, or similar short, dull blast. Often used adverbially with 鳴る or 吹く.

船ふねの汽き笛てきがぶかぶかと鳴なった。
The ship's horn tooted.

See all 11 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈物もの〉がぶかぶかだfor clothing/shoes to be too big/baggy
この靴くつ、ちょっとぶかぶかだね。
These shoes are a bit too big for me.
〈物もの〉がぶかぶか鳴なるfor a horn/whistle to give a dull toot or blast
遠とおくでラッパがぶかぶか鳴なっている。
A trumpet is tooting dully in the distance.
〈物もの〉がぶかぶかになるfor clothing to become too loose (e.g. after losing weight)
ダイエットしたら、ズボンがぶかぶかになった。
After dieting, my pants became too loose.
〈物もの〉をぶかぶかに着きるto wear something (deliberately) baggy/oversized
彼かれは父ちち親おやのシャツをぶかぶかに着きている。
He's wearing his father's shirt, which is way too big on him.

Related words

だぶだぶN1sense 1
だぶだぶ also describes loose, oversized clothing, but often stresses excess or flapping fabric, while ぶかぶか simply means the item is too big.
ゆるゆるN1sense 1
ゆるゆる means loose or slack in a general sense (screws, schedules, pace), whereas ぶかぶか is specifically used for clothes or shoes that are too big.

Opposites

ぴったりN3sense 1
ぴったり describes clothing that fits perfectly, the opposite of ぶかぶか, which describes clothing that is too loose.
きついN3sense 1
きつい describes clothing that is too tight, the opposite end of the spectrum from ぶかぶか, which describes clothing that is too loose.

Don't confuse with

ふかふか
ふかふか sounds similar to ぶかぶか but means soft and fluffy (like a pillow), not oversized or loose-fitting.

Written forms

ぶかぶかUsage85%
Standard hiragana spelling for this mimetic word.
ブカブカUsage15%
Katakana spelling, often used for emphasis or in informal writing.

Etymology

A mimetic word (擬態語) of uncertain origin, likely sound-symbolic for something loose or flapping. The bulging and horn senses are extensions of the same sound-symbolic root.