N3 Actions in Progress or State

~だらけ: meaning, usage and examples

~だらけ means: covered in... / full of... (negative).

Updated 9 November 2026 · By the My Senpai team · Spotted a mistake? Tell us

Examples

1. 子こどもたちは、どろだらけで遊あそんでいる。

   The children are playing, covered in mud.

2. このレポートは、間違まちがいだらけだ。

   This report is full of mistakes.

3. 弟おとうとの部屋へやは、いつもおもちゃだらけです。

   My little brother's room is always full of toys.

4. 古ふるいかばんを出だしたら、ほこりだらけでした。

   When I took out my old bag, it was covered in dust.

When to use it

Means "full of" or "covered in" something, usually something unwanted: mistakes, dust, mud, trash, cuts. Use it when there is too much of something all over a place or thing: 部屋へやがごみだらけ, 間違まちがいだらけの作文さくぶん. It stresses that the amount is too much and unpleasant.

Nuance

Casual to neutral, with a negative feeling of dislike or annoyance; it is rarely used for good things. It attaches only to nouns. It can describe surfaces (どろだらけ) and abstract problems (問題もんだいだらけ).

Compare

Compare だらけ with まみれ: まみれ is for liquids or fine stuff that sticks to the whole surface, like 汗あせまみれ, 血ちまみれ, or 油あぶらまみれ. だらけ is about too many things all over: 傷きずだらけ, 穴あなだらけ. どろだらけ and どろまみれ both work. Compare いっぱい, which is neutral: 花はながいっぱい is fine, 花はなだらけ sounds odd.

Tip: Use だらけ when there are too many of something all over (mistakes, holes, dust). Use まみれ when something sticky covers everything (sweat, oil, blood).