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けばけばしい Japanese meaning | Kotomora

けばけばしい

け

ば

け

ば

し

い

Meanings

1

i-adjective

gaudy; showy; garish; loud

usually written using kana alone

Describes colors, decorations, or clothing that are excessively bright, flashy, or tastelessly showy.

彼かの女じょのけばけばしいドレスはパーティーで目め立だっていた。
Her gaudy dress stood out at the party.

この部屋へやのけばけばしい壁かべ紙がみを変かえたい。

I want to change the garish wallpaper in this room.

Written forms

けばけばしいUsage82%
Usually written in kana; the kanji forms 毳々しい and 毳毳しい are rare or search-only.
ケバケバしいUsage18%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling used for emphasis or stylistic effect.
毳けば々けばしい
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form; the kanji 毳 is not commonly used.

Kanji

毳nap, down, fluff

Similar words

派は手で
派手 means 'flashy' or 'showy' in a more neutral or positive sense, while けばけばしい has a negative connotation of being tastelessly gaudy.
どぎつい
どぎつい also means 'gaudy' or 'loud', but can imply harshness or intensity beyond just visual appearance.

Etymology

The origin is uncertain; it is a mimetic word possibly related to the reduplicated root けば, suggesting something fluffy or showy.