半端
Meanings
remnant; fragment; incomplete set; incompleteness
Used for something that is left over, fragmentary, or not complete as a set or whole.
I gathered leftover pieces of cloth and made a small bag.
This complete works set is missing one volume, so it is incomplete.
halfway; half-hearted; perfunctory
Describes work, an attitude, or an effort that is not carried through properly; 中途半端 is a very common related expression for this idea.
If you start with a half-hearted attitude, you will not keep it up for long.
His explanation was perfunctory and left out the crucial points.
irresponsible; foolish; half-baked
Pejorative extension used to criticize careless, ill-considered, or unreliable behavior; it overlaps with the idea of being half-hearted or half-baked.
Do not do anything irresponsible and cause trouble for your teammates.
We cannot afford any foolish, half-baked behavior on such an important job.
Usage patterns
- 〈数〉の半端を切るto round off the odd remainder from a number
I rounded off the fraction under a thousand yen when calculating.
- 〈物〉が半端になるfor something to end up incomplete or without its match
One sock ended up odd, without its pair.
- 半端な気持ちで〈動詞〉to do something with a half-hearted attitude
Don't do your job with a half-hearted attitude.
- 半端な〈人〉a person who is unreliable or half-baked
He's a half-baked, unreliable person when it comes to work.