ボケる

• Reading: ぼける
• Romaji: bokeru
• Pronunciation: /bo.ke.ɾɯ/

Meaning

To grow senile; to become forgetful with age; to space out. Can also mean to play the fool in comedy.

A Group 2 (ichidan) intransitive verb. Has two distinct uses: (1) medical/daily — age-related cognitive decline or absent-mindedness, and (2) comedy — playing the straight man's counterpart who says something silly (ボケ). Context determines which meaning applies. Often written in katakana.

Examples

1. 最近ボケてきたのか、約束をよく忘れる。 Maybe I'm getting senile — I keep forgetting appointments lately.
2. 祖母は少しボケてきたが、まだ元気だ。 My grandmother is getting a little forgetful, but she's still in good health.
3. 彼はいつもボケた発言をしてみんなを笑わせる。 He always says something silly that makes everyone crack up.

Usage Guide

Context: aging, comedy, daily conversation

Tone: colloquial

Origin & History

Originally written as 惚ける, meaning to become absent-minded or dazed. The comedy usage developed from the manzai (漫才) tradition where one performer plays the foolish role (ボケ) against the straight man (ツッコミ).

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal