だるい (darui) Japanese meaning: sluggish | Kotomora

だるい

also: たるい

だ

る

い

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

だるい · i-adjective

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	だるい	だるくない
Polite	だるいです	だるくないですalso だるくありません
Past polite	だるかったです	だるくなかったですalso だるくありませんでした
Past	だるかった	だるくなかった
Te-form	だるくて	だるくなくて
Adverbial	だるく
Conditional	だるければ	だるくなければ
Tara conditional	だるかったら	だるくなかったら

Meanings

i-adjective

sluggish; languid; listless; heavy; dull

usually written using kana alone

Describes a feeling of physical or mental lethargy, heaviness, or lack of energy. Often used for tiredness, illness, or hot weather.

Kanji

怠neglect, laziness
懈laziness

Related words

しんどい sense 1
しんどい is a broad colloquial word for physical or mental hardship/tiredness, while だるい specifically points to a heavy, sluggish, low-energy feeling in the body.
めんどくさいN3sense 2
面倒くさい focuses on something being too much trouble or hassle, while slang だるい adds a tone of personal reluctance or low motivation.
疲つかれた sense 1
疲れた describes tiredness that comes from clear exertion, while だるい describes a heavy, sluggish feeling that can appear even without exertion (e.g. from illness or heat).
億劫おっくうN1sense 2
億劫 describes reluctance to do something because it feels like a hassle, close to slang だるい but slightly more formal and less youth-slangy.
めんどい
面倒い describes a task itself as troublesome, while だるい describes feeling too tired or listless to bother doing something.

Opposites

元げん気きN5sense 1
元気 describes being energetic and lively, the opposite of the heavy, listless feeling described by だるい.

Don't confuse with

眠ねむいN5sense 1
眠い specifically means sleepy/wanting to sleep, while だるい describes a heavy, sluggish bodily feeling that isn't necessarily about needing sleep.
怠なまけるN3sense 1
怠ける is a verb meaning to be lazy or slack off (a chosen behavior), whereas だるい is an adjective describing an involuntary feeling of physical heaviness.
ダル
だるい is a native Japanese adjective meaning physically sluggish or lethargic, whereas ダル is a separate slang loanword meaning 'boring' or 'lifeless' about a thing or situation.

Word family

まだるい
slow; tedious; sluggish; dull; roundabout
まだるっこい
frustratingly slow; tedious; sluggish
まだるっこしい
slow; tedious; sluggish; dull; roundabout

Written forms

だるいUsage86%
Usually written in kana; the kanji form 怠い is also used but less common.
怠いUsage7%
- だるい
  Kanji form; recognized but less frequent than kana.
- たるい

Etymology

The origin is uncertain; it may be related to the mimetic word だらだら (sluggishly). The kanji 怠 is associated with laziness or neglect, fitting the meaning.

Meanings

Usage patterns