〜だらけ: 'Covered In' / 'Full Of' (Meaning + Examples)
What it means
〜だらけ says that something is covered with or full of a large, messy, usually unwelcome quantity of the noun before it. Picture the stuff spread all over the surface or scattered everywhere — and picture it as a bad thing:
ヤッタンは公園で遊んで、泥だらけになった。
ヤッタンは こうえんで あそんで、どろだらけに なった。
Yattan played in the park and got covered in mud.
泥だらけ = covered all over in mud.
このレポートは間違いだらけだ。
この レポートは まちがいだらけだ。
This report is full of mistakes.
A negative judgment — too many errors.
弟の部屋はごみだらけで、足の踏み場もない。
おとうとの へやは ごみだらけで、あしの ふみばも ない。
My little brother's room is full of trash — there's nowhere to step.
The noun before だらけ is usually something concrete and unpleasant (泥, 血, ほこり, ごみ) or an abstract negative (間違い, 借金, 傷). It is not used for a happy, welcome abundance.
How to form it
Just attach だらけ directly to a plain noun. The whole unit then acts like a noun or な-adjective:
| Use | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun + だらけ | 名詞 + だらけ | 血だらけ (covered in blood) |
| Before a noun | 〜だらけの + 名詞 | 間違いだらけのレポート |
| As a predicate | 〜だらけだ／です | 部屋はほこりだらけだ |
| "Become 〜" | 〜だらけになる | 泥だらけになった |
There's no conjugation on だらけ itself — it's the noun that carries any tense, via だ/です/になる.
More examples
先生の机は書類だらけで、どこに何があるか分からない。
せんせいの つくえは しょるいだらけで、どこに なにが あるか わからない。
The teacher's desk is buried in documents — you can't tell where anything is.
モチは買い物をしすぎて、借金だらけになってしまった。
モチは かいものを しすぎて、しゃっきんだらけに なって しまった。
Mochi shopped too much and ended up drowning in debt.
借金だらけ = full of debt.
転んでしまって、ひざが血だらけになった。
ころんで しまって、ひざが ちだらけに なった。
I fell down and my knee got covered in blood.
だらけ vs まみれ vs ばかり
These three all touch on "a lot of something," but they are not interchangeable:
- だらけ — a large amount all over, often scattered or numerous; strongly negative. Works with countable things (間違いだらけ, 傷だらけ) and substances (泥だらけ).
- まみれ — coated in a sticky liquid or fine powder stuck to the surface: 汗まみれ ("drenched in sweat"), 油まみれ ("covered in oil"), ほこりまみれ. It needs something that clings; you can't say 間違いまみれ. With substances like 泥, both 泥だらけ and 泥まみれ are fine, with まみれ stressing the clinging coating.
- ばかり — "only / nothing but," about exclusivity rather than messy coverage: 失敗ばかり ("nothing but failures"). It doesn't picture the stuff spread over a surface. (See the related sense in 〜だけ.)
So 汗だらけ sounds odd (sweat is a clinging liquid → 汗まみれ), while 間違いまみれ is wrong (mistakes don't stick → 間違いだらけ).
Common mistakes
- Using だらけ for positive abundance. だらけ is negative. To say a place is full of flowers in a good way, use 花でいっぱい, not 花だらけ (which would sound like an overgrown mess).
- Adding を or が before だらけ. Attach it straight to the bare noun: 泥だらけ (✓), not 泥をだらけ.
- Forgetting の before a noun. It's 間違いだらけのレポート, not 間違いだらけレポート.
- Swapping in まみれ for non-sticky things. Countable items take だらけ: 傷だらけ (✓), not 傷まみれ.
Quick recap
- 〜だらけ = covered in / full of a large, conspicuous amount — usually negative.
- Attach straight to a noun; the unit acts like a noun/な-adjective: 〜だらけのN, 〜だらけだ, 〜だらけになる.
- まみれ = coated in a clinging liquid/powder (汗まみれ); ばかり = "nothing but."
- Don't use だらけ for a welcome abundance.
Your turn
Choose だらけ, まみれ, or ばかり for each sentence.
Start the 5-question drill →Frequently asked questions
Is 〜だらけ always negative?
Almost always, yes. It pictures an unwelcome, messy excess: 間違いだらけ, ごみだらけ, 借金だらけ. For a positive 'full of,' use 〜でいっぱい instead (例: 花でいっぱいの庭).
What's the difference between だらけ and まみれ?
まみれ is for a sticky liquid or fine powder clinging to a surface (汗まみれ, 油まみれ). だらけ is broader — scattered or numerous things all over, including countable ones (間違いだらけ, 傷だらけ). With 泥 both work, but 汗だらけ is unnatural.
How do I connect だらけ to a noun?
Use の: 間違いだらけのレポート ('a report full of mistakes'). As a predicate, use だ/です: この部屋はほこりだらけだ.
Can I attach だらけ to a verb or adjective?
No — だらけ attaches only to nouns. Use a noun like 間違い or ごみ, not a verb. (For 'I keep doing only X,' you'd reach for a different pattern such as 〜てばかりいる.)