Translation guide
The English word 'sprawl' can refer to physical posture, uncontrolled urban expansion, or spreading out in a disorderly way. This guide helps learners express these ideas naturally in Japanese.
Describe a person sitting or lying in a relaxed, careless way with arms and legs spread wide.
Literally 'become the character 大', this is the most common way to say someone is sprawled out on their back with arms and legs spread.
彼は疲れて床に大の字になった。
He was so tired he sprawled out on the floor.
Refer to the uncontrolled expansion of a city into the countryside.
Describe things like plants, objects, or writing that spread out in a messy, uncontrolled way.
大の字になる specifically means lying on your back with arms and legs spread like the kanji 大. It's very visual and common. 手足を伸ばして座る is more literal and can be used for sitting postures, but it's less idiomatic.
The loanword スプロール is only used in the context of urban sprawl (スプロール現象). It cannot be used to describe a person's posture.
Means 'sit with arms and legs stretched out'. More literal and less idiomatic than 大の字になる, but clear.
彼はソファに手足を伸ばして座っていた。
He was sitting sprawled out on the sofa.
Suggests sitting in a limp, relaxed, almost boneless way. Conveys a sense of laziness or exhaustion.
彼女は椅子にだらりと座っていた。
She was sprawled limply in the chair.
The standard term for urban sprawl. スプロール comes from English 'sprawl'.
この地域ではスプロール現象が深刻だ。
Urban sprawl is a serious problem in this area.
A more descriptive phrase meaning 'disorderly expansion of a city'. Used in formal or explanatory contexts.
都市の無秩序な拡大を防ぐ必要がある。
We need to prevent the disorderly expansion of cities.
Means 'suburbanization'. Often used in urban planning contexts, but doesn't fully capture the negative nuance of 'sprawl'.
郊外化が進むと交通問題が悪化する。
As suburbanization progresses, traffic problems worsen.
Intransitive verb meaning 'to spread out'. Can be used for physical things like vines or cities. Often combined with adverbs like 無秩序に (disorderly).
ツタが壁一面に広がっている。
Ivy is sprawling all over the wall.
Means 'to continue on and on in a messy, rambling way'. Often used for writing, speeches, or landscapes.
彼の文章はだらだらと続いていて要点がわからない。
His writing sprawls on and on, and I can't grasp the main point.
Means 'to overgrow' or 'to become rampant'. Has a negative nuance, often used for weeds or undesirable things spreading.
雑草が庭にはびこっている。
Weeds are sprawling all over the garden.