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落書き (らくがき) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Common word JLPT N2 Freq. Frequency Top 10,000 Conjugation Meanings 1
noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', transitive verb, intransitive verb
scribble ; doodle ; graffiti
Refers to casual, often meaningless drawings or writing, especially on walls, desks, or margins. Can be used as a noun or with する to mean 'to scribble/doodle'.
らく
書が
き
が
たくさん
あっ
た
。
There was a lot of graffiti on the wall.
Written forms 落らく 書が き Usage 83%
Standard kanji spelling; the most common form in modern Japanese.
落らく 書がき Usage 10%
Abbreviated kanji spelling, occasionally seen but less standard.
らくがき Usage 3%
Kana spelling, common in casual writing or when avoiding kanji.
ラクガキ Usage 3%
楽らく 書が き Usage 1%
Alternate kanji spelling, less common and may be considered ateji-like.
楽らく 書がき Usage <1%
Rare alternate spelling; not commonly used.
Similar words いたずら 書が き Similar meaning but emphasizes mischievous or playful scribbling, often by children.
グラフィティ Loanword from English 'graffiti', often used for street art or more elaborate graffiti, while 落書き can be simpler scribbles.
Etymology Compound of 落 (raku, 'to drop, fall') and 書き (kaki, 'writing/drawing'), literally 'fallen writing', suggesting careless or idle marks. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term has been used since the Heian period for informal or satirical writings.
