戯ざれ言ごと

also: たわむれごと · ざれこと

ざ

れ

ご

と

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

noun

joke; jest; gag

A playful or silly remark, often not meant to be taken seriously. Can be used for light-hearted banter or nonsense talk.

彼かれの言いうことはいつも戯ざれ言ごとだ。
What he says is always just a joke.
そんな戯ざれ言ごとを真まに受うけるな。
Don't take such a silly joke seriously.

See all 3 example sentences ›

Kanji

戯frolic, play, sport
言say, word

Related words

戯あじゃら
戯 is an archaic word for playful joking, while 戯言 is the more commonly recognized word for a joking or foolish remark.
寝ね言ごとN1
戯言 means a joke or silly remark made half-seriously, while 寝言 in its figurative sense implies something absurd enough to sound like literal sleep talking.
冗じょう談だんN3
戯言 is a slightly literary word for a silly or nonsensical remark, while 冗談 is the everyday word for a joke.

Don't confuse with

戯たわむれN1
戯言 shares the kanji 戯 with 戯れ but refers specifically to nonsensical or joking remarks, while 戯れ covers playful behavior more broadly, including flirtation.
戯ぎ曲きょくN1
戯曲 (a play or drama) and 戯言 (nonsense, a joke) share the kanji 戯 but have completely unrelated meanings.

Written forms

戯れ言
- ざれごと
  Standard kanji spelling for ざれごと. Also read たわむれごと, but ざれごと is the more common reading.
- たわむれごと
たわむれごと
Alternate reading; less common than ざれごと and may sound literary or old-fashioned.

Etymology

Compound of 戯れ (ざれ, 'playfulness') + 言 (こと, 'word'). The reading ざれ is the 連用形 of the verb 戯れる (ざれる, 'to jest'). The alternate reading たわむれごと uses the 連用形 of 戯れる (たわむれる).