インチキ

イ

ン

チ

キ

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

Refers to dishonest or deceptive acts, especially in games, business, or exams. Often used as a noun or with な to describe something fraudulent.

あの店みせはインチキな商しょう売ばいをしている。
That shop is running a fraudulent business.
試し験けんでインチキをするなんて最さい低ていだ。
Cheating on an exam is the worst.

na-adjective, noun

fake; bogus; sham

Describes something that is not genuine, such as a product, claim, or person pretending to have skills. Often used attributively with な.

この時計とけいはインチキで、すぐに壊こわれた。
This watch is a fake; it broke right away.
彼かれはインチキな医い者しゃだと噂うわさされている。
He is rumored to be a quack doctor.

See all 19 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

インチキをするto cheat; to pull a trick
彼かれはテストでインチキをした。
He cheated on the test.
インチキがばれるfor a fraud/trick to be exposed
彼かれのインチキがばれて、みんなに嫌きらわれた。
His cheating was exposed, and everyone came to dislike him.
インチキを働はたらくto commit a fraud
その会かい社しゃは取とり引ひきでインチキを働はたらいていた。
That company had been committing fraud in its dealings.
インチキな〈物もの〉a fake/bogus thing
彼かれはインチキな薬くすりを高たかく売うっていた。
He was selling bogus medicine at a high price.

Related words· 10

いかさま sense 1
いかさま and インチキ both mean cheating or trickery, but いかさま leans toward rigged games or gambling while インチキ is a broader, everyday word for any kind of fraud or fakeness.
詐さ欺ぎN2sense 1
詐欺 is the formal, legal term for fraud or swindling, while インチキ is a casual word used for everyday cheating or shoddy fakes.
偽にせ物ものN2sense 2
偽物 is a neutral noun for a counterfeit or imitation object, while インチキ (as an adjective) implies deliberate deception and carries a more scornful, colloquial tone.
でたらめN3sense 1
でたらめ describes something random, nonsensical, or unreliable, whereas インチキ specifically implies intentional cheating or fakery.

Show 6 more

ペテン sense 1
ペテン refers to a con or swindle carried out by a con artist, while インチキ is a milder, more general word that can describe both scams and shoddy fakes.
チート
インチキ is a broad, colloquial word for any kind of fraud or trickery, while チート is specifically the gaming term for using unauthorized advantages.
騙だまし
いんちき is a casual, often mildly humorous word for a trick or sham, whereas 騙し is a more neutral, general term for deception.
ずる
インチキ is a colloquial word for something fake or rigged, often about scams, while ずる is broader and often used for small, personal acts of cheating.
ごまかし
インチキ is a casual, often exasperated word for cheating or fakery, while ごまかし is a more neutral term covering any kind of deception or fudging.
細さい工くN1
いんちき is a casual, everyday word for cheating or a fake, whereas 細工 (negative sense) sounds more deliberate and technical, like rigging a mechanism or document.

Word family

インチキ療りょう法ほう
quack remedy; medical quackery

Written forms

インチキUsage87%
Standard katakana spelling; no kanji form exists.
いんちきUsage13%
Hiragana spelling, less common but still used.

Etymology

The origin is uncertain, but it may be related to the word いかさま (cheating, fraud) or a sound-symbolic formation. The katakana spelling suggests a colloquial or slang origin.