noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
cheating; deception; trickery; fudging; cover-up
Refers to dishonest acts or methods used to hide the truth, manipulate appearances, or avoid responsibility. Covers a wide range from outright fraud to minor fudging or cutting corners.
A bit of fudging like this should still work.
His explanation was full of deception.
帳簿のごまかしが発覚した。
The manipulation of the accounts was uncovered.
ごまかしのきかない仕事をしよう。
Let's do work that leaves no room for cutting corners.
His cover-up was quickly discovered.
The teacher immediately saw through the student's trick.
She quickly noticed the clerk's fudging of the bill.
ごまかす is the verb meaning 'to deceive/cover up', while ごまかし is the noun form referring to the act or method of doing so.
詐欺 refers specifically to criminal fraud with legal implications, while ごまかし is broader and can include minor deceptions or fudging.
嘘 is simply a lie or false statement, while ごまかし implies an active manipulation or cover-up beyond just words.
インチキ is a casual, often exasperated word for cheating or fakery, while ごまかし is a more neutral term covering any kind of deception or fudging.
正直 means honesty and straightforwardness, the direct opposite of the deceptive concealment implied by ごまかし.
誤魔化し means glossing over or covering something up (like fudging numbers), while 騙し implies actively tricking someone for gain.
Usually written in kana; the kanji forms are ateji and rarely used.
Ateji spelling; rarely used in modern writing.
Ateji spelling; very rarely used.
Derived from the verb ごまかす, which is of uncertain origin. The kanji spellings are ateji and do not reflect the etymology.