Japanese Sounds to Express Slow: Daradara, Motamota, Guzuguzu, and Noronoro

In Japanese, there are several words to convey the meaning of “slow”. These words are commonly used in casual and even business conversations. The four main expressions are “だらだら daradara”, “もたもた motamota”, “ぐずぐず guzuguzu”, and “のろのろ noronoro”. Let’s take a closer look at these four differences.

だらだら daradara /daɾadaɾa/

だらだら daradara gives an impression of laziness, characterized by long periods of time, slow movement, and lack of ambition. だらだら daradara can be easily translated to slowly doing work or tasks with a sluggish motion or simply put, laziness. In such situations, one may be told “not to be daradara (lazy)!”

The word “dara” has its roots in the Japanese verb 垂らす /taɾasu/, which means “to drop.” Over time, 垂ら evolved into “dara,” which we now use. We also we use “taratara” for expressing “to drop” as well. It came to mean taking a long time to do something, based on the image of droplets slowly dripping one by one.

As a side note, だらだら daradara can also be used to describe sweat dripping and flowing from the body, as it comes from the onomatopoeic sound of something dripping or flowing.

Examples of だらだら daradara

He is lazy (daradara) and doesn’t work.

彼はだらだらしていて、仕事をしない。

/kaɾeɯa daɾadaɾa ʃiteite ʃiɡoto ɯo ʃinai/

When I watch TV lazily (daradara to), time passes quickly.

だらだらとテレビを見ていると時間がたつのが早い。

/daɾadaɾa to teɾebi ɯo mite iɾuto dʒikan ɡa tatsu noɡa hajai/

That restaurant is slow (daradara) and it takes a long time for the food to come out after ordering.

あのレストランはだらだらしていて、料理が出てくるのが遅い。

/ano ɾesutoɾan wa daɾadaɾa ʃite ite ɾjoːɾi ɡa dete kuɾu noɡa osoi/

もたもた motamota /motamota/

もたもた motamota is an inefficient thing. Motamota refers to “doing work or other tasks inefficiently with slow movements.”

もたもた motamota means something that does not progress quickly, being delayed or stuck on something, having slow movements, or being inefficient in doing something.

For example, when going out, if you are well prepared, you can prevent situations where you are unable to go out due to reasons such as “Oh, my makeup isn’t finished yet,” “Where’s my wallet?”, “I forgot to wash the clothes I was going to wear,” or “My shoes are broken.”

Examples of もたもた motamota

He is slow (motamota) in doing work and always delays until the last minute.

彼はいつもたもたしていて、仕事がギリギリになる。

/kaɾeɯa itsumo motamota shite ite, ʃiɡoto ga ɡiɾi ɡiɾi ni naɾu/

The teacher is slow (motamota) in giving back exams, so students are always anxious.

その先生は採点をもたもたしているので、生徒たちはいつも不安だ。

/sono sensei wa saiten ɯo motamota shite iɾu node, seito-tatʃi wa itsumo fuan da/

I’m late for the appointment because my friend is slow (motamota) getting ready.

友達がもたもたしているので、私は待ち合わせに遅れます。

/tomodatʃi ga motamota shite iɾu node, wataʃi wa matʃiawase ni okuɾe masu/

ぐずぐず guzuguzu /ɡuzuguzu/

ぐずぐず guzuguzu refers to slow movement. ぐずぐず guzuguzu means things are not progressing forward due to slow movement”. ぐずぐず guzuguzu also refers to sluggishness, complaining, inability to make progress, and being lazy.

Additionally, “guzu ru” is also used to describe when a baby is crying or in a bad mood.

Examples of ぐずぐず guzuguzu

It will rain if you keep being slow (guzuguzu).

ぐずぐずしていると、雨が降り始めるよ。

/ɡuzuɡuzu sʃiteiɾuto ameɡa huɾujo/

There’s no time to be lazy (guzuguzu) anymore.

これ以上、ぐずぐずしている時間はない。

/koɾeidʒoː ɡuzuɡuzu ʃiteiɾu dʒikan wa nai/

Why don’t you speak clearly instead of complaining (guzuguzu)?

ぐずぐず言っていないで、はっきり言ったら？

/ɡuzuɡuzu ittenaide hakkiɾi ittaɾa/

のろのろ noronoro /noɾonoɾo/

のろのろ noronoro means movement that is very slow and sluggish. It refers to being late, not moving forward, and having a slow pace of movement. The etymology is 鈍い /noroi/, dull and slow, and noronoro is a word that describes such a state.

Examples of noronoro

Walking slowly (noronoro).

のろのろと歩く

/noɾonoɾo to aɾuku/

I was slow (noronoro) and ended up falling behind everyone.

ノロノロして、みんなから遅れてしまった

/noɾonoɾo ʃite minna kaɾa okuɾete ʃimatta/

Slow-moving (noronoro) turtle

ノロノロの亀

/noɾonoɾo no kame/