むちゃくちゃ

む

ちゃ

く

ちゃ

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

na-adjective

nonsensical; absurd; unreasonable

usually written using kana aloneyojijukugo (four-character idiom)

Describes something that makes no sense, is illogical, or goes against reason. Often used for arguments, rules, or situations.

彼かれの言いい分ぶんはむちゃくちゃで、誰だれも納なっ得とくしなかった

。

His argument was nonsensical, and no one was convinced.

そんなむちゃくちゃなルールは変かえるべきだ。

Such an unreasonable rule should be changed.

na-adjective

reckless; excessive; awfully

usually written using kana alone

Indicates doing something to an extreme, often reckless or without restraint. Can modify verbs or describe a state.

むちゃくちゃに走はしったら転ころんでしまった。
I ran recklessly and ended up falling.
彼かれはむちゃくちゃな量りょうの酒さけを飲のんだ。
He drank an excessive amount of alcohol.

noun, na-adjective

disorder; confusion; jumbled

usually written using kana alone

Refers to a state of physical or abstract mess, chaos, or things being mixed up. Used as a noun or adjectival noun.

部屋へやがむちゃくちゃで足あしの踏ふみ場ばもない。
The room is such a mess there's nowhere to step.
書しょ類るいの順じゅん番ばんがむちゃくちゃになってしまった。
The order of the documents got all mixed up.

adverb

very; extremely; excessively

colloquialusually written using kana alone

Colloquial intensifier used before adjectives or verbs, similar to 'incredibly' or 'super'. Common in casual speech.

このラーメン、むちゃくちゃおいしい！
This ramen is incredibly delicious!
昨日きのうはむちゃくちゃ疲つかれた。
I was extremely tired yesterday.

Written forms

むちゃくちゃUsage38%
Standard hiragana spelling; the most common written form.
無む茶ちゃ苦く茶ちゃUsage43%
ateji (phonetic kanji usage)
Ateji kanji spelling; rarely used in modern writing. The word is almost always written in kana.
ムチャクチャUsage19%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling used for emphasis or in informal writing.

Kanji

無nothingness, none, ain't
茶tea
苦suffering, trial, worry

Similar words

めちゃくちゃ
Almost identical in meaning and usage; めちゃくちゃ is slightly more common in casual speech, while むちゃくちゃ can sound a bit more emphatic or old-fashioned to some speakers.
でたらめ
でたらめ focuses on something being random, haphazard, or made up, while むちゃくちゃ emphasizes unreasonableness, excess, or chaos.

Etymology

The word is a sound-symbolic (mimetic) compound, likely derived from むちゃ (absurd, unreasonable) with an emphatic reduplication. The kanji 無茶苦茶 are ateji (phonetic equivalents) and do not reflect the original meaning. The exact historical derivation is uncertain.