How to say "crazy" in Japanese

Choosing the right word
  • na-adjectiveThe direct equivalent of 'crazy', borrowed straight from English: a person acting insanely, wild or reckless ideas and plans, the 'Are you crazy?' reaction.
    それから野獣やじゅうがクレイジーになりたがり始はじめる。↗
    Then the wild beasts start wanting to go crazy.
  • 大それただいそれたCommon
    pre-noun adjectivalCovers 'crazy' as in wildly, outrageously audacious: an ambition, idea or scheme that goes far beyond ordinary bounds. It characterizes the plan or idea itself, not a person's mental state.

Use 「クレイジー」 for the general sense of 'crazy' — people, behavior, ideas or plans that seem insane or wildly reckless — and 「大それた」 when 'crazy' means wildly, outrageously audacious, as of an ambition or scheme.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

Japanese equivalents
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