Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.
大げさ (おおげさ, oogesa) Japanese meaning: exaggerated | Kotomora
Report an issue with this page
His stories are always exaggerated.
To exaggerate a little, this is the discovery of the century.
Usage patterns 大おお げさな 〈 事こと 〉 an exaggerated thing/matter (story, reaction, etc.)
Isn't that story a bit exaggerated?
大おお げさに 驚おどろ く to act overly surprised
He acts overly surprised even at small things.
大おお げさな 身み 振ぶ り exaggerated gestures
She talked with exaggerated gestures.
大おお げさに 考かんが える to blow something out of proportion; to overthink
You don't have to blow it out of proportion like that.
Related words· 7 誇張 is a formal noun meaning 'exaggeration,' often used in analytical or rhetorical contexts, while 大げさ is an everyday na-adjective describing someone's speech or reaction as overdone.
仰々しい specifically stresses pompous, ceremonious over-formality, whereas 大げさ more broadly covers any exaggerated speech or reaction.
オーバー and 大げさ both describe exaggerated behavior or reactions, but 大げさ is the more native, everyday word while オーバー is a lighter, more casual loanword.
大げさ is more colloquial and often describes a person's behavior or manner as overblown, while 誇大 is more formal and typically refers to the content of a statement or claim.
Show 3 more 大げさ means exaggerated, especially in speech or reaction, while 物々しい can describe a showy or pretentious style in appearance or atmosphere.
大げさ describes an exaggerated manner or description in general, while 言い過ぎ specifically points to words that went further than they should have.
大げさ is the usual modern word for “exaggerated,” whereas 大層 carries this nuance mainly in set phrases like たいそうなこと.
Don't confuse with 大雑把 means 'rough/careless' (as in imprecise work), while 大げさ means 'exaggerated'; learners sometimes confuse the two because both are na-adjectives starting with 大.
大袈裟 describes exaggeration in speech or reaction, whereas 大々的 describes the actual scale or publicity of an event, not exaggeration.
大袈裟 means 'exaggerated' or 'overblown', while 大時代 specifically means 'old-fashioned' or 'anachronistic' in style.
Written forms 大おお げさ Usage 59%
Standard common spelling; the second kanji is often written in kana.
大おお 袈げ 裟さ Usage 28%
Full kanji spelling, less common but still used; 袈裟 is a Buddhist robe, used here phonetically.
おおげさ Usage 13%
Etymology From 大 (big) + 袈裟 (kesa, a Buddhist monk's robe). The robe was associated with showiness or ostentation, leading to the meaning 'exaggerated' or 'pompous'. The kana spelling げさ is now standard for the second part.
