ダルい
Meaning: Sluggish, lethargic, or tedious — the feeling of not wanting to do something because it is tiring or boring.
ダルい expresses both physical heaviness and mental reluctance. You might use it when your body feels like lead after a bad night's sleep, or when faced with a task so tedious you cannot summon the motivation. Young speakers especially deploy it as a general complaint about anything they find bothersome. The katakana spelling emphasises the slang vibe over the standard だるい.
Examples
- 月曜の朝ってほんとダルいよな。 周一早上真的超没劲。Las mañanas de lunes son un auténtico palo, ¿verdad?월요일 아침은 진짜 나른하잖아.
- 満員電車でダルくて何もやる気出ない。 挤满人的电车让人浑身没劲,什么都不想干。Con el tren abarrotado me siento tan apático que no tengo ganas de hacer nada.만원 전철 타니까 나른해서 아무것도 할 의욕이 안 나.
- あの授業マジでダルいから毎回寝てる。 那节课真的烦死了,每次都在睡觉。Esa clase es tan tediosa que me quedo dormido todas las veces.그 수업 진짜 귀찮아서 매번 자고 있어.
Pronunciation
/da.ɾɯ.i/
Usage Guide
Context: friends, social media, internal monologue
Tone: complainy, lethargic
✓ Do Say
- 今日ダルいから家から出たくない。 (I feel sluggish today so I don't want to leave the house.)今天浑身没劲,不想出门。(I feel sluggish today so I don't want to leave the house.)今日ダルいから家から出たくない。 (Hoy me siento aletargado y no quiero salir de casa.)今日ダルいから家から出たくない。 (오늘 나른해서 집에서 나가기 싫어.)
- あの作業ダルすぎて終わる気がしない。 (That task is so tedious I feel like it'll never end.)那个活儿烦死了,感觉永远做不完。(That task is so tedious I feel like it'll never end.)あの作業ダルすぎて終わる気がしない。 (Esa tarea es tan tediosa que siento que nunca va a acabar.)あの作業ダルすぎて終わる気がしない。 (그 작업 너무 귀찮아서 끝날 것 같지가 않아.)
✗ Don't Say
- 先輩に「この仕事ダルいっすね」は失礼 (Telling a senior 'this work is darui' sounds lazy and disrespectful)对前辈说「この仕事ダルいっすね」很没礼貌——显得懒散不敬先輩に「この仕事ダルいっすね」は失礼 (Decirle a un superior 'este trabajo es darui' suena vago e irrespetuoso)선배에게 「この仕事ダルいっすね」라고 하면 게으르고 무례하게 들린다
Common Mistakes
- Using ダルい only for physical tiredness — it equally applies to mental reluctance about boring or annoying tasks
Origin & History
From the adjective 怠い (darui, sluggish/weary), a standard Japanese word. The katakana spelling ダルい became popular in casual writing and texting to give it a more slangy, emphatic feel, especially among younger speakers from the 2000s onward.
Cultural Context
Era: Traditional adjective, slangy katakana usage from 2000s
Generation: All ages, especially teens to 30s
Social background: Universal informal
Regional notes: Used across all of Japan. The variant だりぃ (darii) is even more casual and masculine-sounding.
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