とばっちり

also: とばしり · とばちり

と

ば

っ

ち

り

Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

noun

splash; spray

usually written using kana alone

Refers to liquid splashing or spraying, often as a result of impact or sudden movement.

車くるまが水みずたまりを通とおって、とばっちりがかかった。
A car went through a puddle and the splash got on me.

noun

getting dragged into; getting mixed up in; collateral damage

usually written using kana alone

Used when someone is unintentionally involved in trouble, a quarrel, or an unpleasant situation, often as a bystander. The nuance is of being splashed by the fallout of others' actions.

隣となりの喧けん嘩かのとばっちりで、彼かれも警けい察さつに呼よばれた。
He got dragged into the neighbors' fight and was called by the police too.
会かい社しゃの不ふ祥しょう事じのとばっちりを受うけて、関かん係けいない部ぶ署しょまで予よ算さんを削けずられた。
Because of the company's scandal, even unrelated departments had their budgets cut as collateral damage.

See all 9 example sentences ›

Kanji

迸gush out, spurt
逬to scatter, to expel, to crack

Related words

巻まき添ぞえN1
とばっちり is a casual, everyday word for getting unfairly caught up in someone else's trouble, while 巻き添え is slightly more formal and often used for serious incidents like accidents or crimes.

Written forms

とばっちりUsage96%
Standard kana spelling; the word is usually written in kana.
トバッチリUsage4%
とばしり
rarely-used kana form
Rare kana variant.
とばちり
rarely-used kana form
Rare kana variant.
迸り
rarely-used kanji form
- とばっちり
  Rare kanji form; not commonly used.
- とばしり
  rarely-used kana form
- とばちり
  rarely-used kana form
逬り
rarely-used kanji form
- とばっちり
  Rare kanji form; not commonly used.
- とばしり
  rarely-used kana form
- とばちり
  rarely-used kana form

Etymology

Derived from the verb 迸る (とばしる), meaning 'to splash' or 'to gush out'. The form とばっちり is a colloquial or emphatic variant, possibly influenced by mimetic patterns. The figurative sense of being dragged into trouble comes from the image of being splashed by something unpleasant.