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ぼったくり Japanese meaning | Kotomora

ぼったくり

ぼ

っ

た

く

り

Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

noun

rip-off; overcharging; highway robbery

usually written using kana alonecolloquial

Colloquial noun for intentionally charging an unfairly high price, often in tourist traps or shady businesses.

観かん光こう地ちでぼったくりにあった。
I got ripped off at a tourist spot.

あの店みせはぼったくりだから気きをつけて。

That shop is a rip-off, so be careful.

Written forms

ぼったくりUsage57%
Standard hiragana spelling; this is the usual written form.
ボッタクリUsage43%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling used for emphasis or in informal contexts.
ぼっ手た繰くり
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; the word is almost always written in kana.

Kanji

手hand
繰winding, reel, spin

Similar words

ふっかける
Verb meaning 'to charge an exorbitant price'; ぼったくり is the noun for the act or the establishment that does it.

Etymology

Derived from the verb ぼったくる (to overcharge), which itself likely comes from ぼる (to overcharge) with an emphatic element. The kanji ぼっ手繰り is ateji and rarely used.