だらけ means full of something, まみれ means covered or smeared with it, and ずくめ means nothing but it. 泥だらけ and 泥まみれ can both describe someone muddy, with まみれ stressing a coating. だらけ commonly describes numerous unwanted things, including mistakes; ずくめ can describe an all-black outfit or a run of good things.
also written darake / mamire / zukume / 泥だらけ / 汗まみれ / 黒ずくめ
だらけ — covered in them, and it's a mess · まみれ — smeared with it, one substance · ずくめ — nothing but, from end to end
Sentences
6 sentences, word by word
だらけ — scattered and unwelcome
plain past
。
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子供
こども ［0］
children
noun · covers singular and plural without change
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たち
たち
(plural)
suffix · used with people, optional but common here
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が
が
marks the subject
particle · what the sentence is about — with 好き, 分かる and potentials, the object
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泥
どろ ［2］
mud
noun · the substance, in patches
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だらけ
だらけ
covered in; all over
suffix · many of them, scattered, and it is a complaint
だらけN1covered in · scattered
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で
で
in that state
particle · manner, not place — the state they arrived in
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帰って
かえって
came home
て-form of 帰る · linking into きた
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きた
きた
came (toward the speaker)
てくる · the movement arrives where the speaker is
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The kids came home covered in mud.
まみれ — one substance, coating
plain past
。
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彼
かれ ［1］
he
pronoun · the person coated
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は
は
as for — the topic
particle · written は, read わ
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汗
あせ ［1］
sweat
noun · a liquid clinging to the skin, which is まみれ's home ground
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まみれ
まみれ
drenched in; smeared with
suffix · one substance coating a surface
まみれN1smeared with · coated
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で
で
in that state
particle · manner again — the condition he finished in
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練習
れんしゅう ［0］
practice
noun · 練習する to practise
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を
を
marks the direct object
particle · pronounced お
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終えた
おえた
finished
plain past of 終える · transitive, so he ended it
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He finished practice drenched in sweat.
だらけ — with an abstract noun
polite
。
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この
この
this
demonstrative · the essay in hand
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作文
さくぶん ［0］
essay; composition
noun · a written piece, usually a school one
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は
は
as for — the topic
particle · written は, read わ
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間違い
まちがい ［3］
mistakes
noun · countable and abstract, which まみれ could not take
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だらけ
だらけ
riddled with
suffix · many of them, and the speaker disapproves
だらけN1riddled with
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です
です
(polite ending)
copula · だらけ behaves as a noun, so it takes です
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This essay is riddled with mistakes.
ずくめ — every part of it
plain past
。
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黒
くろ ［1］
black
noun · the colour, not the adjective 黒い
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ずくめ
ずくめ
entirely; nothing but
suffix · every part of the outfit is that colour
ずくめN1nothing but · entirely
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の
の
(attributive)
particle · joining the suffix to the noun it describes, not possession
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男
おとこ ［3］
man
noun · blunt; 男の人 is the neutral version
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が
が
marks the subject
particle · what the sentence is about — with 好き, 分かる and potentials, the object
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入って
はいって
entered
て-form of 入る · linking into きた
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きた
きた
came in
てくる · movement toward where the speaker is
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A man dressed head to toe in black came in.
ずくめ — and it can be good news
polite
。
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今年
ことし ［0］
this year
noun used adverbially · relative time, no particle
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は
は
as for — the topic
particle · written は, read わ
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いい
いい
good
い-adjective · modifying こと
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こと
こと
things; happenings
noun · plain things here, not the nominaliser that follows a verb
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ずくめ
ずくめ
nothing but
suffix · a positive use, unlike the usual negative tone of だらけ
ずくめN1nothing but — can be positive
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でした
でした
was
polite past copula · reporting the year as finished
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This year has been nothing but good news.
泥だらけ vs 泥まみれ — the same accident
plain past
、、。
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転んで
ころんで
fell over and
て-form of 転ぶ · the cause of both states
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靴
くつ ［2］
shoes
noun · spattered in patches, so だらけ
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は
は
as for — the topic
particle · written は, read わ
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泥
どろ ［2］
mud
noun · the same substance in both halves
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だらけ
だらけ
spattered all over
suffix · patches of it, scattered
だらけN1scattered patches
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手
て ［1］
hands
noun · coated rather than spattered, so まみれ
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は
は
as for — the topic
particle · written は, read わ
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泥
どろ ［2］
mud
noun · same mud, thicker coverage
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まみれ
まみれ
caked in
suffix · a single coating over the surface
まみれN1coated · caked
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だった
だった
was
plain past copula · closing the description
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I fell over and my shoes were spattered, my hands caked.
Structure
What each one attaches to
泥 / 傷 / 間違い / 借金＋だらけ
間違いだらけの作文. Many things or a substance spread widely. The noun can be abstract, which is what separates it from まみれ's usual range.
汗 / 泥 / 血 / 油＋まみれ
汗まみれになる. A substance clinging to a surface. Typically liquids and powders — you cannot be 間違いまみれ.
黒 / いいこと / 規則＋ずくめ
いいことずくめ. Everything about it is that one thing. Note the voicing: づくめ after some nouns, and both spellings are seen.
だらけの／まみれの／ずくめの＋Noun
泥だらけの靴, 血まみれのシャツ, 黒ずくめの男. All three take の to modify a noun — none of them takes な.
Meaning
Scattered, smeared, and entirely
だらけ means full of or covered in something.傷だらけ, 間違いだらけ, and 借金だらけ all convey abundance. It often sounds unfavorable, but it can describe a substance spread over a surface as well as countable things.
まみれ coats a surface. The picture is one substance stuck to something: 汗まみれ, 油まみれ, 血まみれ. It reaches abstractions in a few set expressions — 借金まみれ is drowning in debt — but the everyday use is physical.
The same accident can take either.泥だらけ is mud in patches all over you; 泥まみれ is mud as a single coating. Both are natural, and the choice reports how thoroughly it went.
ずくめ is composition, not mess.黒ずくめ — every garment black. いいことずくめ — nothing but good news. Because it says “entirely,” rather than “too many,” it is the one that can be a compliment.
Register depends on context.だらけ is everyday, まみれ evokes a coating, and ずくめ can sound literary or emphatic. All three can appear in writing when their precise meanings are useful.
Watch out
Where these three go wrong
間違いまみれ
まみれ wants a substance that clings. Mistakes do not coat anything, so it is 間違いだらけ. The abstract exceptions まみれ does allow are a short, set list — 借金まみれ chief among them.
Using だらけ for something good
だらけ often carries an unfavorable tone, but favorable or playful uses can occur. For a straightforward positive “nothing but,” いいことずくめ is idiomatic.
Putting な before the noun
All three take の: 泥だらけの靴, 血まみれのシャツ, 黒ずくめの男. There is no だらけな.
Also asked
Questions people ask about だらけ, まみれ and ずくめ
Can I use だらけ and まみれ for the same thing?
Often, and they say different things. 泥だらけ is patches of mud all over; 泥まみれ is a coating of it. Both are natural after the same fall.
Is だらけ always negative?
Usually it does, because it often reports too many unwanted things. It is not categorically negative in every context.
Can まみれ be abstract?
In a short set of expressions, yes. 借金まみれ is drowning in debt, and スキャンダルまみれ turns up in the press. The default use is still a physical substance.
Why is it ずくめ sometimes and づくめ others?
Both ずくめ and づくめ are spellings of this suffix; this is an orthographic variant, not a new voicing triggered by the previous noun.
How do I say this in a report?
The choice depends on the report’s tone. 誤りが多い is plainer than 間違いだらけ, but none of the three suffixes is categorically excluded from formal writing.
Do they attach to verbs?
No — all three take a noun directly. To say it of an action you nominalise first, or rebuild the sentence: 失敗ばかりしている rather than anything with だらけ.
References
Sources and usage notes
Shogakukan Digital Daijisen: だらけ — Defines being covered with a substance and having many instances of a thing, including mistakes.
