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無駄骨 (むだぼね) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

無む駄だ骨ぼね

む

だ

ぼ

ね

Meanings

1

noun

wasted effort; fruitless effort; vain efforts

Refers to effort that yields no result; often used in the phrase 無駄骨を折る (to waste one's efforts).

彼かれの努ど力りょくは結けっ局きょく無む駄だ骨ぼねに終おわった。
His efforts ended up being wasted.
そんなことをしても無む駄だ骨ぼねを折おるだけだ。
Doing that will only be a waste of effort.

Written forms

無む駄だ骨ぼねUsage90%
Standard kanji spelling.
むだ骨ぼねUsage10%
search-only kanji form
Search-only mixed kana-kanji form; not a standard spelling.
徒むだ骨ぼね
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; 無駄骨 is preferred.

Kanji

無nothingness, none, ain't
駄burdensome, pack horse, horse load
骨skeleton, bone, remains
徒on foot, junior, emptiness

Similar words

無む駄だ
無駄 is a broader term for waste or futility, while 無駄骨 specifically emphasizes wasted physical or mental effort.
骨ほね折おり
骨折り means 'effort' or 'pains taken', often used positively; 無駄骨 is always negative, meaning effort that is wasted.

Etymology

Compound of 無駄 (muda, 'waste') and 骨 (hone, 'bone'), literally 'waste bone', figuratively meaning wasted effort.