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支離滅裂 (shirimetsuretsu) Japanese meaning: incoherent | Kotomora
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Describes speech, writing, arguments, or behavior that is fragmented, contradictory, and lacking logical consistency. Often used for rambling or disjointed statements.
His explanation was incoherent, and I had no idea what he was trying to say.
He gets drunk and says nonsensical things.
Kanji 支 branch, support, sustain 離 detach, separation, disjoin 滅 destroy, ruin, overthrow Related words 支離滅裂 describes speech or writing that is disjointed and incoherent, a stronger claim than 意味不明's simple 'doesn't make sense'.
支離滅裂 is a more literary term for something logically incoherent, whereas 無茶苦茶 is the everyday word for the same kind of nonsense.
支離滅裂 is a stronger, more literary word for something being utterly incoherent (like an argument), while バラバラ is a lighter, more general word for disorder.
Etymology A Sino-Japanese four-character expression combining 支離 and 滅裂, both denoting fragmentation or disorder. It describes speech or reasoning whose parts are disconnected and incoherent.
