だらけ (darake)
～だらけ — covered in ～, full of ～ (something bad)
Pattern
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名詞 ＋ だらけ泥だらけ (covered in mud), 間違いだらけ (full of mistakes) -
A は 名詞 ＋ だらけだ／だらけの ＋ 名詞ending: ～だらけだ. Before a noun: ～だらけの部屋
Meaning and nuance
だらけ shows that a surface or space is filled with something. The speaker finds it unpleasant, messy or inconvenient: 泥だらけ, 書類だらけ, 間違いだらけ. It is a complaint rather than a neutral description.
Only for bad things
Do not use it with positive things: 花だらけ and 友だちだらけ sound strange. For neutral or good amounts, use いっぱい or 〜でいっぱい. A similar word is ～まみれ, which is used for liquids and dirt on a surface.
Examples
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子（こ）どもの服（ふく）は泥（どろ）だらけです。
Kodomo no fuku wa doro darake desu.
The child's clothes are covered in mud.
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机（つくえ）の上（うえ）は書類（しょるい）だらけで、片付（かたづ）ける気（き）にならない。
Tsukue no ue wa shorui darake de, katazukeru ki ni naranai.
The desk is covered in documents, and I don't feel like tidying up.
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この作文（さくぶん）は間違（まちが）いだらけだ。
Kono sakubun wa machigai darake da.
This composition is full of mistakes.
Common mistakes
- Only for unwanted things. Do not say 花だらけ or お金だらけ as a compliment.
- It attaches to a noun directly, with no の in between: 泥だらけ, not 泥のだらけ.
More grammar points
- 上（あ）げる ～上げる — to finish ～ completely
- 合（あ）う ～合う — do ～ to each other; to fit, to suit
- がち ～がち — tends to ～ (usually undesirable)
- がたい ～がたい — hard to ～
- 気味（ぎみ） ～気味 — a touch of ～
- かける ～かける — half-done, in the middle of ～
- 切（き）れない ～切れない — cannot finish, cannot fully ～
- 切（き）る ～切る — do ～ completely, to the end
- 込（こ）む ～込む — into, crowded, deeply ～
- 向（む）け ～向け — intended for ～, aimed at ～
- 向（む）き ～向き — suited to ～, facing ～
- 直（なお）す ～直す — do ～ over again
- っぱなし ～っぱなし — leaving ～ as it is
- っぽい ～っぽい — ～-ish / tends to be ～
- たて ～たて — “freshly ～ed / just done”
- 的（てき） ～的 — “-like / -al” (makes an adjective)
- 通（とお）す ～通す — “do ～ all the way through”
- あまり あまりの～に — so ～ that ～
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