半はん分ぶん冗じょう談だん

expression, noun

half-joking; half in jest

Used when someone says something that is partly serious and partly a joke. Often appears in phrases like 半分冗談で言う or 半分冗談半分本気.

• 彼かれは半はん分ぶん冗じょう談だんでそんなことを言いった。

  He said that half-jokingly.

• それは半はん分ぶん冗じょう談だん半はん分ぶん本ほん気きの提てい案あんだった。

  That was a proposal that was half in jest and half serious.