Zubora

Yesterday, I talked about the Japanese word "kichomen," which means that someone is well-organized in every detail.

Today I would like to talk about the Japanese term "zubora." which has the opposite meaning to the "kichomen."

"Zubora" means that someone is loose and dissolute.

Usage example: Kare wa zubora na seikaku da. (His personality is zubora (loose).)

This word comes from dialect terms "zun bera bon," "zun bora bon" or "zuberabo," which means that something is flat.

There is also another theory -- it comes from a term in rice markets, "zubora," which meant that rice prices are continuous falling.

ずぼら

昨日は「隅々まできちんとしている」という意味の「几帳面」という言葉を紹介しました。

今日は、「几帳面」と正反対の意味を持つ、「ずぼら」という言葉を紹介します。

「ずぼら」は、態度にしまりながく、きちんとしていないようすを表します。

使用例：彼はずぼらな性格だ。

この言葉は、凸凹がなく平らなさまを表す「ずんべらぼん」や「ずんぼらぼん」「ずべらぼう」とい方言に由来します。

また、米の相場がずるずると下がることを「ずぼら」と呼んでおり、そこから派生したという説もあります。