とぼける

と

ぼ

け

る

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

とぼける · ichidan verb

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	とぼける	とぼけない
Polite	とぼけます	とぼけません
Past polite	とぼけました	とぼけませんでした
Past	とぼけた	とぼけなかった
Te-form	とぼけて	とぼけないで
Desire	とぼけたい	とぼけたくない
Potential	とぼけられるalso とぼけれる	とぼけられないalso とぼけれない
Passive	とぼけられる	とぼけられない
Causative	とぼけさせる	とぼけさせない
Causative passive	とぼけさせられる	とぼけさせられない
Volitional	とぼけよう
Polite volitional	とぼけましょう
Imperative	とぼけろ	とぼけるな
Conditional	とぼければ	とぼけなければ
Tara conditional	とぼけたら	とぼけなかったら

Meanings

ichidan verb, intransitive verb

play dumb; feign ignorance; act innocent

usually written using kana alone

Pretending not to know something, often to avoid responsibility or awkwardness. Can also describe a blank, clueless expression.

彼かれは知しっているくせに、とぼけた顔かおをしている。
He knows, but he's putting on an innocent face.
とぼけないで、ちゃんと説せつ明めいしてよ。
Don't play dumb; explain it properly.

ichidan verb, intransitive verb

play the fool; act silly

usually written using kana alone

Acting in a silly or foolish way, often deliberately for humor or to lighten the mood. Overlaps with sense 1 but emphasizes clowning rather than hiding knowledge.

会かい議ぎでとぼけたことを言いって、みんなを笑わらわせた。
He said something silly at the meeting and made everyone laugh.

ichidan verb, intransitive verb

be senile; be in one's dotage

usually written using kana aloneobsolete term

Obsolete usage; historically meant to become senile or demented. Now expressed with ぼける or 呆ける.

古こ文ぶんでは「とぼける」が老ろう衰すいを意い味みすることがある。
In classical texts, とぼける can mean to become senile.

See all 24 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈事こと〉を聞きかれてとぼけるto play dumb when asked about something
彼かれは借しゃっ金きんのことを聞きかれてとぼけた。
When asked about his debt, he played dumb.
とぼけた顔かおをするto put on an innocent, blank expression
彼かれはとぼけた顔かおで「知しらない」と言いった。
He said 'I don't know' with an innocent look on his face.
わざととぼけるto deliberately play dumb or act silly
彼かの女じょはわざととぼけて話はなしをそらした。
She deliberately played dumb to change the subject.

Kanji

惚fall in love with, admire, grow senile
恍unclear, senile, stupid

Related words

しらばっくれる sense 1
しらばくれる is a blunter, more colloquial way to say 'play dumb' and often implies shameless denial, while とぼける can also suggest a lighter, clowning innocence.

Don't confuse with

ボケるN1sense 1
ぼける means to become senile or mentally slow, whereas とぼける means to deliberately feign ignorance or act silly, not actual mental decline.
とぼとぼN1
とぼける sounds similar to とぼとぼ but means to play dumb or feign ignorance, unrelated to walking.

Word family

すっとぼける
feign ignorance; pretend not to know
とぼけ
feigned ignorance; playing dumb
おとぼけ
feigned ignorance; playing dumb
空惚そらとぼける
feign ignorance; play dumb
空そらっとぼける
play dumb; feign innocence

Written forms

とぼけるUsage98%
Usually written in kana; the kanji 惚ける is also used but less common.
恍とぼけるUsage2%
Rare kanji form; 恍 suggests being dazed or entranced.
惚とぼける
Kanji form; 惚 is also used in 呆ける (ぼける) and carries a nuance of being absent-minded or senile.

Etymology

Derived from とぼける, originally meaning 'to become senile' or 'to be dazed'. The modern sense of 'playing dumb' developed from the idea of acting as if one's mind is not working. The kanji 惚 is associated with being infatuated or absent-minded.