だるい（だるい、darui）
- tired

The Japanese word だるい means "to feel sluggish," "to feel tired," "to feel weary," or "to feel listless." It describes a feeling of general malaise, lack of energy, or a sense of heaviness. It's often used to describe physical tiredness or a lack of motivation. The feeling can be both physical and mental. It often implies a feeling of not wanting to do anything. The feeling also describes a state where you are not feeling well. The word だるい is an i-adjective. It should be noted that the meaning of だるい can vary subtly depending on the context, but the core meaning remains the same: a feeling of being unwell or lacking energy.

⚫︎今日はなんだかだるいなぁ。 Translation: I feel sluggish today. ⚫︎熱があって、体がだるい。 Translation: I have a fever, and I feel tired. ⚫︎宿題が多すぎて、だるくて何もしたくない。 Translation: There's too much homework, and I'm too lazy to do anything.

⚫︎You can use だるい when you're feeling physically or mentally tired. ⚫︎It's used in casual conversations with friends, family, or people you are close to. ⚫︎You can also use it to express your lack of motivation. ⚫︎The usage often implies a degree of discomfort. ⚫︎The word だるい can also be applied to describing things other than people, for example, the class is boring.

⚫︎だるい is primarily written in hiragana. ⚫︎There is no Kanji for だるい. ⚫︎The okurigana (the suffix hiragana) is always "い" (i) because it's an i-adjective. ⚫︎The word だるい conjugates like other i-adjectives: ⚫︎Negative: だるくない (darukunai) - "not tired" ⚫︎Past Tense: だるかった (darukatta) - "was tired" ⚫︎Past Negative: だるくなかった (darukunakatta) - "was not tired" ⚫︎Te-form: だるくて (darukute) - "being tired" or "and is tired" (used to connect phrases)

⚫︎疲れた (tsukareta) - "tired" (more general and can be used for both physical and mental tiredness) ⚫︎疲労感がある (hiroukan ga aru) - "to have a feeling of fatigue" (more formal) ⚫︎体が重い (karada ga omoi) - "body feels heavy" (focuses on the physical feeling) ⚫︎気力がない (kiryoku ga nai) - "lacking energy/motivation" (focuses on mental tiredness)

⚫︎元気 (genki) - "healthy," "energetic" ⚫︎活発 (kappatsu) - "active" ⚫︎爽やか (sawayaka) - "refreshing"

最近、寝不足でだるい日が続いている。 ・Translation: Recently, I've been sleep-deprived, and I've been feeling sluggish every day. ・Explanation: This sentence explains the cause (lack of sleep) and the resulting feeling of だるい.

今日はだるくて、会社に行きたくない。 ・Translation: I feel sluggish today, and I don't want to go to work. ・Explanation: This sentence uses the te-form of the i-adjective だるい (だるくて) and expresses a desire not to go to work due to the feeling of being だるい.

The exact etymology of だるい is not definitively known, but it is believed to be derived from the verb 弛む (tarumu), which means "to slacken," "to loosen," or "to sag." The feeling of being だるい is akin to feeling physically or mentally slackened or loose. The "i" ending is then added, making it an i-adjective.