粗雑

• Reading: そざつ
• Romaji: sozatsu
• Kanji breakdown: 粗 (so) — coarse, rough; 雑 (zatsu) — miscellaneous, rough, mixed
• Pronunciation: /so.za.tsɯ/

Meaning

Coarse; rough; crude. Describes careless, sloppy workmanship or behaviour.

A na-adjective meaning rough, careless, or lacking in finesse. Used for workmanship (粗雑な作り — crude construction), behaviour (粗雑な扱い — rough handling), and thinking (粗雑な議論 — crude argument). Differs from 粗悪 (soaku), which focuses on poor quality of materials, while 粗雑 emphasises carelessness in execution. The opposite of 丁寧 (teinei, careful/polite).

Examples

1. 粗雑な扱いをすると壊れてしまいますよ。 If you handle it roughly, it'll break.
2. この報告書は粗雑で内容が不十分だ。 This report is sloppy and the content is inadequate.
3. 粗雑な作りの家具は長持ちしない。 Furniture with crude construction doesn't last long.

Usage Guide

Context: criticism, quality assessment, craftsmanship

Tone: critical

Origin & History

From Sino-Japanese: 粗 (so, coarse/rough) + 雑 (zatsu, miscellaneous/rough). Both characters convey a lack of refinement, producing a strong sense of carelessness.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal