How to say 'Moderate' or 'Irresponsible' in Japanese | いい加減

word

Meaning

Moderate, Irresponsible

Reading

Kanji

加Join, Add 減Decrease

Explanation

The Japanese adjectival noun 'いい加減 (いいかげん)' has two distinct meanings. The first meaning is 'irresponsible' or 'careless', often used to describe someone who does not take their responsibilities seriously. For example: he is so irresponsible「彼はいい加減だ」(かれはいいかげんだ). The second meaning is 'moderate' or 'appropriate', used to describe something that is neither too much nor too little. For example: this temperature is just right「この温度はいい加減だ」(このおんどはいいかげんだ). The word can also imply a sense of being 'half-hearted' or 'not thorough' depending on the context. For instance: stop being so half-hearted「いい加減にしなさい」(いいかげんにしなさい).

Part Of Speech

adjectival noun

Kanji JLPT

Kanji Grade

Frequency

3703

Composition

kanji-hiragana

Handwriting