ごまかす

ご

ま

か

す

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

ごまかす · godan verb (-su)

Meanings

godan verb (-su), transitive verb

usually written using kana alone

Deliberately misleading someone, often for personal gain or to avoid trouble. Covers lying, tricking, and dishonest manipulation.

godan verb (-su), transitive verb

usually written using kana alone

Manipulating records, numbers, or data to hide the truth. Common with accounts, reports, and test results.

godan verb (-su), transitive verb

usually written using kana alone

Avoiding a direct answer, sidestepping an issue, or making a mistake seem less serious. Often used with questions, taxes, or awkward situations.

godan verb (-su), transitive verb

usually written using kana alone

Stealing money that one is entrusted with, typically in a workplace or organizational setting.

〈事こと〉をごまかすto gloss over or fudge a matter
彼かれは失しっ敗ぱいをごまかそうとした。
He tried to gloss over his mistake.
笑わらってごまかすto laugh something off to avoid a real answer
質しつ問もんに困こまって笑わらってごまかした。
Stumped by the question, he just laughed it off.
年ねん齢れいをごまかすto fudge one's age
彼かの女じょは年ねん齢れいをごまかして応おう募ぼした。
She lied about her age when she applied.
数すう字じをごまかすto falsify or tamper with figures
経けい理り担たん当とうが売うり上あげの数すう字じをごまかしていた。
The accountant had been falsifying the sales figures.
お金かねをごまかすto embezzle or pocket money entrusted to one
会かい計けい係がかりが会かい費ひをごまかしていたことが分わかった。
It turned out the treasurer had been pocketing the membership fees.
税ぜい金きんをごまかすto evade or dodge taxes
彼かれは税ぜい金きんをごまかして摘てき発はつされた。
He was caught evading his taxes.

騙だますN3sense 1
騙す is outright deception with a clear victim, while ごまかす is broader and includes fudging, evading, and covering up without necessarily deceiving a specific person.
偽いつわる sense 2
偽る means to formally state something false as true, while ごまかす is more about manipulating perception or details rather than making one clear false statement.
はぐらかす sense 3
はぐらかす is specifically about dodging a question or topic evasively, while ごまかす also covers falsifying records and pocketing money.
水みず増ましN1
ごまかす means to deceive or cover something up in general, while 水増し refers specifically to padding numbers like a budget or claim.

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紛まぎらすN1
紛らす means to mask or redirect an emotion without necessarily deceiving, while ごまかす carries a stronger nuance of dishonest cover-up or deception.
ごまかし
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.

ごまかすUsage81%
Usually written in kana; the kanji forms are ateji and rarely used.
誤ご魔ま化かすUsage19%
ateji (phonetic kanji usage)
Ateji spelling; recognized but uncommon in modern writing.
胡ご麻ま化かすUsage<1%
ateji (phonetic kanji usage)rarely-used kanji form
Rare ateji variant.
誤ご摩ま化かす
ateji (phonetic kanji usage)rarely-used kanji form
Rare ateji variant.

The origin is uncertain. It may be related to 胡麻 (ごま, sesame) and 化かす (ばかす, to bewitch), but this is speculative. The kanji forms are ateji.