ごまかす・誤魔化す・誤摩化す・胡麻化すgomakasu[3]nakadaka (mid-high)

1. godan verb, transitive verbto deceive; to cheat; to swindle
   そんな手てで私の目めをごまかそうとしても無駄むだだ。↗

   You can't fool me with a trick like that.
2. godan verb, transitive verbto falsify; to misrepresent; to lie about; to tamper with; to fiddle; to doctor; to cook
   彼かれらは税金ぜいきんを逃のがれるために帳ちょうじりをごまかした。↗

   They falsified the account balances to evade the tax.
3. godan verb, transitive verbto evade (a question, taxes, etc.); to dodge; to gloss over (a mistake, fault, etc.); to smooth over; to get one's way out of (a difficult situation); to explain away
   彼かれはそのことを笑わらってごまかした。↗

   He laughed the matter away.
4. godan verb, transitive verbto embezzle; to pocket

• Synonym騙すだますNeutralA neutral verb for tricking people; it centres on deceiving someone, while 「誤魔化す」 centres on covering up, glossing over, or fudging.
• Synonym偽るいつわるNeutralA neutral verb for lying or falsely stating something, as in 「年齢を偽る」; the emphasis is on the false statement itself.
• Synonym欺瞞ぎまんWrittenA written-style noun for deceit, as in 「欺瞞に満ちた」; formal prose with a heavy tone.
• SynonymインチキCasualA colloquial noun for cheating, a scam, or something bogus, as in 「インチキ商品」; common in speech.
• Synonym欺くあざむくWrittenA written-style verb for deceiving; it also means to rival or match something, as in 「昼を欺く明るさ」.
• SynonymまやかすNeutralTo deceive by passing the false off as genuine; not used very often.
• SynonymだまくらかすCasualColloquial for hoodwinking or wheedling someone; has a coarse, slangy feel.
• SynonymだまかすCasualA colloquial variant of 「騙す」 meaning to trick someone; not often used.
• SynonymたぶらかすNeutralTo bewitch and deceive; has an old-fashioned air, like a fox spirit beguiling people.
• Synonym瞞着まんちゃくWrittenA written-style noun for deceiving and keeping people in the dark; not often used.
• Synonym騙し込むだましこむNeutralTo take someone in successfully; the emphasis is on the trick coming off.
• SynonymたばかるWrittenTo plot and scheme to deceive someone; old-fashioned and literary.
• Related丸め込むまるめこむNeutralTo talk someone round with smooth words; the emphasis is on winning them over rather than deceiving them.
• Related乗せるのせるNeutralUsually means to give someone a ride or load something; also to take someone in with smooth talk, as in 「口車に乗せる」, sweet-talking them into it.
• Related惑わすまどわすNeutralTo bewilder and mislead; the emphasis is on confusing people rather than covering things up.
• Related改ざんかいざんWrittenA formal noun for tampering with documents or data, as in 「データ改ざん」.
• RelatedたらしこむCasualColloquial: to sweet-talk someone into being taken in, with a nuance of seduction or luring.
• Related賺すすかすNeutralTo coax or humour someone; the emphasis is on soothing them, and it does not necessarily involve deception.
• RelatedいかさまNeutralA noun for cheating or a rigged trick, as in 「いかさま賭博」; carries a gambling flavour.
• Related騙るかたるNeutralTo cheat people out of something with a plausible lie, or to falsely use another's name or title, as in 「名を騙る」; the impersonation sense is the one it is best known for.
• Related欺罔きもうWrittenA written noun for fraud, found mainly in legal language; rarely used today.
• Related歪曲わいきょくWrittenA written noun for distorting facts, as in 「事実の歪曲」; the emphasis is on twisting the truth.
• Antonym正直に言うNeutralAntonym: to tell the truth plainly, the opposite of covering things up with 「誤魔化す」.
• Antonym包み隠さないNeutralAntonym: to hide nothing and tell the whole story, the opposite of glossing things over.

Use 「誤魔化す」 for covering up mistakes, glossing things over, or fudging, as in 「笑って誤魔化す」 and 「年齢を誤魔化す」. For outright deceiving people, pick 「騙す」; for lying about something, 「偽る」; for cheating or scams, 「インチキ」; for tampering with data, 「改ざん」. To say you are being honest, use 「正直に言う」.

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

1. 〔それの〕本当ほんとうの状態じょうたいを、他たの人ひとに伝つたえないようにする。
2. 〔人ひとや、人ひとの感覚かんかくを〕あざむくようにして、本当ほんとうのことが伝つたわらないようにする。
3. ばれないように、〔それを〕取とる。