darashinai-vs-namakeru

2021年7月28日2026年4月21日

Have you ever tried to call someone “lazy” in Japanese and wondered which word to use? English has one word — “lazy” — but Japanese has at least two very different words: だらしない (darashinai) and なまける (namakeru). Using the wrong one can make your meaning completely off. This guide explains exactly what each word means, when to use it, and how to avoid the most common mistakes English speakers make.

Yuka

Hey Rei! I keep mixing up だらしない and なまける. Can you break it down for me?

Rei

Sure! They’re both useful words but used in different situations. Let me walk you through it with some examples!

TOC

At a Glance: だらしない vs. なまける

Feature	だらしない (darashinai)	なまける (namakeru)
Core meaning	Sloppy, slovenly, lacking self-discipline	Lazy, idle, not putting in effort
Word type	い-adjective	る-verb (Group 2)
Kanji	Usually written in hiragana	怠ける
About appearance?	Yes (messy, untidy)	No (about behavior/effort)
About effort?	Partly (lack of care)	Yes (not trying)
Noun form	だらしなさ	なまけ者 (lazybones)
JLPT level	N2–N3	N3

だらしない (darashinai) — Sloppy, Slovenly, Lacking Self-Control

だらしない describes a person who is messy, disorganized, or lacks self-discipline in their appearance, lifestyle, or behavior. It is an い-adjective, so it behaves like other い-adjectives in conjugation. The key nuance is that だらしない focuses on the state of being untidy or undisciplined — it is about how someone manages themselves, not just whether they work hard.

だらしない can be used for physical appearance (messy clothes, an untidy room), personal finances (reckless with money), or relationships (careless with commitments). A common pattern is: [person] は [area] にだらしない — “[person] is sloppy about [area].”

Example 1 — appearance:

彼は服装がだらしない。
Kare wa fukusou ga darashinai.
He is sloppy about his appearance / His clothes are a mess.

Example 2 — money:

彼女はお金にだらしない。
Kanojo wa okane ni darashinai.
She is careless with money.

Example 3 — lifestyle:

妹はだらしない生活をしている。
Imouto wa darashinai seikatsu wo shite iru.
My sister leads a slovenly lifestyle.

Yuka

Oh, so だらしない is used that way! I never thought about it like that.

Rei

Exactly! Once you see it in context a few times, it starts to feel natural. The key is paying attention to だらしない when you read or listen.

なまける (namakeru) — Lazy, Idle, Not Trying

なまける (怠ける) means to be lazy or idle — specifically to avoid doing something you are supposed to do, like studying or working. Unlike だらしない, which describes a general state of sloppiness, なまける focuses on the active choice not to put in effort. It is a verb, so it is used differently in sentences.

The noun form なまけ者 (namakemono) means “lazybones” or “a lazy person” and is commonly used in casual speech. Note that the kanji 怠ける is sometimes seen in written Japanese, but the hiragana form is very common in everyday use.

Example 1 — skipping duties:

誰でもなまけることはある。
Daremo namakeru koto wa aru.
Everyone gets lazy sometimes.

Example 2 — recent behavior:

最近、なまけていました。
Saikin, namakete imashita.
I have been lazy lately.

Example 3 — calling someone a lazybones:

妹は本当になまけ者です。
Imouto wa hontou ni namakemono desu.
My sister is a real lazybones.

Yuka

And what about なまける? I always thought it was the same as だらしない…

Rei

Easy mistake! なまける has its own distinct meaning. The difference becomes really clear once you compare them side by side — which is exactly what we’re doing here!

The Key Difference: Sloppy vs. Lazy

The most important distinction is this: だらしない is about how you carry yourself — your appearance, your habits, your self-discipline across areas of life. なまける is about not doing what you should do — avoiding work, study, or responsibility. A person can be だらしない without being なまける, and vice versa.

For example, a highly productive person who always works hard but has a messy desk and never folds their clothes is だらしない — but not なまける. A tidy person who always looks neat but constantly avoids their responsibilities is なまける — but not necessarily だらしない.

Incorrect usage to avoid:

Using だらしない to mean “not working hard enough” sounds unnatural. Use なまける for that meaning. Using なまける to describe a messy room or sloppy appearance is also wrong — use だらしない instead.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Situation	だらしない	なまける
Messy clothes / untidy room	✓ 服がだらしない	✗
Reckless with money	✓ お金にだらしない	✗
Not doing homework	✗	✓ 宿題をなまける
Avoiding exercise	✗	✓ 運動をなまける
Sloppy with relationships	✓ 女にだらしない	✗
Not putting effort into studying	✗	✓ 勉強をなまける
General undisciplined lifestyle	✓ だらしない生活	△ (can overlap)

Conjugation Notes

Since these two words belong to different grammatical categories, they conjugate very differently.

Form	だらしない (い-adjective)	なまける (る-verb)
Dictionary form	だらしない	なまける
Polite present	だらしないです	なまけます
Negative	だらしなくない	なまけない
Past (plain)	だらしなかった	なまけた
Te-form	だらしなくて	なまけて
Progressive	N/A	なまけている (being lazy)

Decision Flowchart: Which Word to Use?

Are you describing someone as "lazy" or "sloppy"?
        |
        v
Is it about APPEARANCE, HABITS, or SELF-DISCIPLINE
in lifestyle / money / relationships?
   |           |
  YES          NO
   |           |
   v           v
だらしない    Is it about AVOIDING DUTIES
(sloppy,      or NOT PUTTING IN EFFORT
slovenly)     (study, work, exercise)?
                 |           |
                YES          NO
                 |           |
                 v           v
             なまける      Rethink —
             (lazy,        may need a
             idle)         different word

Quick Quiz — Test Yourself!

Yuka

Okay, I feel a lot more confident about だらしない and なまける now! Should we test it with a quiz?

Rei

Let’s do it! A quick quiz is the best way to make sure the difference really sticks.

Fill in the blank with だらしない or なまける (conjugate as needed).

Q1. He keeps skipping work.
彼はいつも仕事を＿＿＿。
Kare wa itsumo shigoto wo ___.

Answer: なまけている (namakete iru)
Reason: He is avoiding his work duties — this is about effort, so なまける is correct.

Q2. Her room is always a mess.
彼女の部屋はいつも＿＿＿。
Kanojo no heya wa itsumo ___.

Answer: だらしない (darashinai)
Reason: A messy room is about slovenly habits — だらしない is the right choice.

Q3. He is careless with his drinking (drinks too much / irresponsibly).
父はお酒に＿＿＿です。
Chichi wa osake ni ___ desu.

Answer: だらしない (darashinai)
Reason: This describes a lack of self-control in a lifestyle area — だらしない fits perfectly.

Q4. Summer vacation is almost over, but my brother still hasn’t done his homework.
夏休みが終わるのに、弟は宿題を＿＿＿いる。
Natsuyasumi ga owaru noni, otouto wa shukudai wo ___ iru.

Answer: なまけて (namakete)
Reason: Not doing homework is about avoiding effort — なまける is correct here.

Q5. Everyone is sloppy about something.
誰でも何かに＿＿＿ことはある。
Daremo nanika ni ___ koto wa aru.

Answer: だらしない (darashinai)
Reason: Being sloppy “about something” (に + だらしない) describes a lack of self-discipline in a specific area.

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