Japanese

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Etymology

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Kanji in this term

Grade: S

Grade: 1
jūbakoyomi

Originated as a Go term, () (da, meaningless) + () (me, territory in a Go game).

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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()() or 駄目(ダメ) (dame-na (adnominal ()() (dame na), adverbial ()() (dame ni))

  1. no good; useless; hopeless
    ダメ
    Dame!
    No!
    ダメ(ひと)ダメ人間(にんげん)
    dame na hito/dame ningen
    hopeless person (scatterbrained, incapable, etc.)
    • 2014 July 9, Hideaki Sorachi, “(だい)四百八十七(くん) (しょう)(めい)(しゃ)(しん)(げん)(じつ)(きび)しさを(しょう)(めい)するもの [Lesson 487: ID photos are identifiable proof of harsh reality]”, in [銀](ぎん)[魂](たま) [Silver Soul], volume 55 (fiction), Tokyo: Shueisha, →ISBN:
      これだけ()(ごと)(さが)(まわ)ってもダメのは ひょっとして()(れき)(しょ)(しゃ)(しん)(うつ)りがダメなのかと(おも)ってな ()(ごと)(さが)(まえ)にまずいい(しょう)(めい)(しゃ)(しん)()(さが)(こと)にした
      Kore dake shigoto o sagashimawatte mo dame no wa hyotto shite rirekisho no shashin'utsuri ga dame na no ka to omotte na shigoto o sagasu mae ni mazu ii shōmei shashinki o sagasu koto ni shita
      My job-hunting has been nothing but sucky. I think it could be because my resume photos are kinda sucky. So I figure I should go good-ID-photo-booth-hunting first and foremost before job-hunting.
      まずその(かんが)(かた)ダメだろ
      Mazu sono kangaekata ga dame daro
      That line of thought you have first and foremost really sucks
    • 2012, “ばかみたい [Baka Mitai (I've Been A Fool)]”, in Ryosuke Horii (lyrics), Mitsuhara Fukuyama (music), Yakuza 5 OST (Video game soundtrack), Sega:
      ダメだね ダメよ ダメなのよ
      damedane dameyo damenanoyo
      I'm no good aren't I? No good, no good at all.
  2. inadvisable; not to be done
    (さわ)ちゃダメ
    Sawatcha dame da yo.
    You mustn't touch it.
    (literally, “If you touch, it's not advisable.”)

Inflection

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Synonyms

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Noun

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()() or 駄目(ダメ) (dame

  1. (go)
    1. a territory that belongs to neither player when the game ends
    2. Synonym of 呼吸点

Usage notes

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This term is usually written in katakana, as ダメ. It is seldom written in kanji.

References

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  1. ^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN