ダメ人にん間げん

だ

め

に

ん

げ

ん

Meanings

noun

useless person; hopeless case; failure

Colloquial, often self-deprecating or humorous term for someone who is seen as incapable, lazy, or a burden on society. Can be used seriously or jokingly.

彼かれは自じ分ぶんをダメ人にん間げんだと言いって、仕し事ごとを辞やめてしまった。
He called himself a hopeless case and quit his job.
休きゅう日じつは一いち日にち中じゅう寝ねてばかりのダメ人にん間げんです。
On my days off, I'm a useless person who just sleeps all day.

See all 6 example sentences ›

Kanji

人person
間interval, space
駄burdensome, pack horse, horse load
目eye, class, look

Related words

役やく立たたず
More directly 'useless' or 'good-for-nothing', often referring to a specific task or role, while ダメ人間 is a broader label for a person's character or lifestyle.
ダメ男おとこ
Specifically a 'useless man', often in a romantic context; ダメ人間 is gender-neutral and more general.

Written forms

ダメ人にん間げん
Most common spelling; ダメ is usually written in katakana for this compound.
駄だ目め人にん間げん
Kanji spelling for ダメ; less common but still seen.

Etymology

Compound of ダメ (dame, 'no good, useless') and 人間 (ningen, 'human being'). The exact origin is uncertain, but it likely emerged in colloquial Japanese as a humorous or critical label.