suitable; appropriate; adequate
Only with reading てきとう
Describes something that fits the situation or meets requirements. Can be used for people, actions, or things. Reading is てきとう.
We are looking for a suitable person for this job.
Please add an appropriate amount of salt.
half-hearted; sloppy; irresponsible
Casual, often negative sense: doing something without proper care, just going through the motions, or being lazy. Frequently written in katakana as テキトー to emphasize this meaning.
He always gives only half-hearted replies.
That kind of sloppy work won't do.
I chose clothes suitable for the party.
I did my homework in a sloppy, careless way.
He always says careless, irresponsible things.
Just cut the vegetables however you like.
適当 suggests doing something in a random or perfunctory way, while 無造作 emphasizes doing it naturally and without conscious effort, which need not sound negative.
適当 can mean 'suitable' but often implies a casual or approximate fit, while 手ごろ implies something is precisely the right level for practical purposes.
適当 (in its negative sense) means careless or perfunctory about how something is done, while 不真面目 describes an underlying lack of seriousness or commitment.
適当 can mean suitably fitting like 相応, but it also commonly carries a negative sense of sloppy or careless that 相応 never has.
適当 means suitable or fitting (the opposite of 不適当), though colloquially 適当 can also mean careless, which can confuse learners.
適当 shares the kanji 適 with 適切 and can mean 'suitable', but it is also commonly used to mean 'careless' or 'random', a negative sense 適切 never has.
適当 shares the kanji 適 with 最適 but usually means 'suitable' or, informally, 'careless/random', not 'the single best option' like 最適.
適当 shares the kanji 適 and can mean 'appropriate' like 適宜, but in casual speech 適当 often shifts to mean 'careless' or 'random,' a nuance 適宜 never carries.
適当 often carries a negative nuance of 'careless/sloppy' in casual speech, whereas ほどほど always keeps a positive sense of sensible moderation.
適量 always means a suitable quantity or dose, whereas 適当 shares the kanji 適 but usually means 'suitable' in a general sense or, colloquially, 'careless/random'.
適当 shares the kanji 適 with 適時 but means 'suitable' or, informally, 'careless/haphazard', not 'well-timed'.
Katakana spelling strongly associated with the casual negative sense 'half-hearted, sloppy'. Often used in informal writing.