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JLPT N2な-adjectiveUpdated

適当（てきとう） tekitou meaning

適当 (tekitō) can mean “suitable” or “careless.” 適当な方法 may be an appropriate method, while 適当にやる can mean doing something haphazardly. Context decides which sense applies; 適切 is a clearer choice when you specifically mean “appropriate.”

forms tekitou na / tekitou ni / tekitō

suitable · appropriate · off-the-cuff · half-hearted

Sentences

6 sentences, word by word

適当な ＋ noun · the good sense

plain

。

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この

この

this

determiner · この goes straight onto a noun, never この の

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仕事

しごと ［0］

job; work

noun · both the task and employment in general

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に

に

to; at; into

particle · a point something reaches — a place, a time, a person, or a state

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適当な

てきとうな

right for it; fitting

attributive 適当 · tekitou na, and here purely complimentary

適当N2suitable

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人

ひと ［0］

person

noun · 人 as a countable person, not 人間 as a species

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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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見つからない

みつからない

isn't turning up

negative of 見つかる · the thing found is the subject, so が

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We can't find the right person for this job.

適当に · the generous sense

polite

。

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適当に

てきとうに

wherever suits you

adverbial 適当 · tekitou ni, here handing you the choice

適当にN2as you see fit

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座って

すわって

sit, and…

て-form of 座る · the form every request is built on

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ください

ください

please (do)

polite request · from くださる

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Please sit wherever you like.

適当に · the unkind sense

plain

。

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彼

かれ ［1］

he; him

pronoun · also means boyfriend in the right context

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は

は

as for — the topic

particle · written は, read わ

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いつも

いつも

always

adverb · a habit, not a promise about every single time

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適当に

てきとうに

without really caring

adverbial 適当 · same two words as the sentence above, opposite verdict

適当にN2half-heartedly

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仕事

しごと ［0］

work; the job

noun · 仕事をする is the ordinary way to say 'work'

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を

を

marks the direct object

particle · pronounced お

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する

する

does

irregular verb · the all-purpose 'do', polite します

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He always does his work any old way.

適当なこと · the fixed criticism

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。

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適当な

てきとうな

made up on the spot

attributive 適当 · with こと it is always the bad sense

適当なことを言うN2talk off the top of your head

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こと

こと

the act of; the fact of

noun · turns the verb in front into a noun

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を

を

marks the direct object

particle · pronounced お

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言うな

いうな

don't say

plain prohibitive of 言う · blunt, and mostly men's speech

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Don't just say whatever comes into your head.

適当な ＋ noun · a setting, not a person

polite

。

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水

みず ［0］

water

noun · cold water; hot water is お湯, a separate word

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を

を

marks the direct object

particle · pronounced お

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適当な

てきとうな

the right; a suitable

attributive 適当 · before a measurable thing, only the good sense survives

適当N2suitable

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温度

おんど ［1］

temperature

noun · 温 warmth ＋ 度 degree

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に

に

to; at; into

particle · a point something reaches — a place, a time, a person, or a state

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保って

たもって

keep it, and…

て-form of 保つ · to hold something at a level over time

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ください

ください

please (do)

polite request · from くださる

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Please keep the water at a suitable temperature.

適当でいい · good enough

plain

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適当

てきとう ［0］

rough; approximate

bare 適当 · standing alone as a noun before で

適当でいいN2rough is fine

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で

で

being — and that's fine

て-form of だ · joins a な-adjective to what comes next

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いい

いい

is fine; good enough

い-adjective · irregular — the negative is よくない, never いくない

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よ

よ

— just so you know

sentence-ending particle · hands the listener something new

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Rough is fine — don't overthink it.

Forms

What forms does 適当 take?

適当な＋Noun

適当な人, 適当な温度, 適当な大きさ. In front of a noun it can be the good sense: the right one, the fitting one. Past 適当だった.

適当に＋Verb

適当に座る, 適当にやる. The adverb (tekitou ni) is where the word turns two-faced — “as you like” from a host, “without caring” about a colleague.

Noun ＋ は＋適当だ

この方法は適当だ — this method is the right one. Polite 適当です, past 適当でした, negative 適当ではない. Of a method or a plan — この方法は適当だ — it reads as the formal “appropriate”; of a person, 彼は適当だ is the everyday “slapdash.”

不適当な＋Noun

不適当な表現 — an unsuitable turn of phrase. Notice what it does not mean: nobody uses 不適当 to say “not sloppy.” Only the good sense negates.

Meaning

適当 vs 適切 vs 妥当 vs いい加減 — which one do you want?

適当 is the everyday word, and the only one of the four that swings both ways — praise or complaint. Which sense you get is read off the sentence, not the word: in front of a noun it is nearly always “fitting,” and in front of a verb as 適当に it is usually “however you like” — which slides into “without bothering” the moment the task was supposed to be done properly.

適切 is the safe one in writing. It means apt, correct for the situation, and it has no second face — 適切な対応, an appropriate response, cannot be misread as a lazy one. If you are writing an email to a client and want to say “appropriate,” use 適切 and the ambiguity never arises.

妥当 is reasonable, not fitting. It judges whether a conclusion, a price or a decision holds up — 妥当な判断, a sound call. 適当 asks “does this match the slot?”; 妥当 asks “would a reasonable person accept this?” They are not interchangeable, and swapping them is one of the tells of a translated sentence.

いい加減 is what 適当 is accused of being. It is the same joke told twice: literally “a good measure,” used almost only for people who cannot be trusted to measure anything — いい加減な仕事, slapdash work. Where 適当 keeps both meanings alive, いい加減 has lost the good one, and that is the difference in tone: 適当 can be affectionate, いい加減 is a complaint.

Inside the word

適 ＋ 当 — where the meaning comes from

適 — てき · fit, suit, be right for

The walking radical 辵 under a phonetic element: going to the place you belong. It gives you 適切 apt, 適応 adapting, 快適 comfortable, 最適 optimal, and the verb 適する, to be suited to something.

当 — とう · hit the mark, this very one

A simplification of 當, and its core sense is contact: 当たる to hit, 本当 the truth — what actually landed — 当然 naturally, 担当 the person it falls to, and 当日, the day itself.

適当 — てきとう · fits, hits, and stops there

Both characters take their ordinary on-yomi and the compound is flat-accented — てきとう with no drop, so a following particle stays high. The two senses come from the same place: the word only ever promised that something clears the bar. Whether clearing the bar is praise depends on who was supposed to be aiming higher.

Watch out

Where 適当 goes wrong

Telling your boss 適当にやっておきます

You mean “I'll handle it as I see fit.” Half of Japan hears “I'll knock something together.” To a manager say 適切に対応します or just きちんとやっておきます — the ambiguity is not worth defending in writing.

Reaching for 適当 when you mean “appropriate”

In a report, a policy or a client email, the word you want is 適切. It means the same good half of 適当 and carries none of the bad half, which is exactly why formal Japanese has drifted onto it.

Reading 不適当 as the opposite of “sloppy”

不適当 means unsuitable — it negates only the good sense. There is no 不 word for “not slapdash”; for that you say 丁寧 or きちんとした.

Also asked

Questions people ask about 適当

Does 適当 (tekitou) mean “suitable” or “sloppy”?

Both, and the sentence decides. In front of a noun — 適当な人, 適当な温度 — it is nearly always “fitting.” In front of a verb as 適当に it means “however you like,” which becomes “without bothering” whenever the job deserved care. Same word, and native speakers read the tone off the context without noticing they are doing it.

What does 適当に (tekitou ni) mean?

As you see fit. From a host — 適当に座ってください — it is generous: sit anywhere. About a person's work — 適当にやってる — it is a criticism: they are doing the minimum. The adverb is where the word's two faces meet, so listen to who is being described before you take offence.

適当 or 適切 — which should I use?

適切 in anything written or formal. It means apt and correct for the situation and has no second reading, so 適切な対応 can only be praise. Keep 適当 for speech, where you can hear the tone.

What does 適当なことを言うな mean?

Don't talk nonsense — literally “don't say off-the-cuff things.” With こと the word locks into its careless sense: things said without checking. It is sharp, and the な ending is blunt on top of that. The neutral version is 適当なことを言わないでください.

適当 or いい加減 — is there a difference?

いい加減 usually has the bad sense. It began as “a good measure” and ended up meaning the opposite, so いい加減な仕事 is unambiguously slapdash work. 適当 still holds both meanings, which is why it can be teasing where いい加減 is a complaint.

How is 適当 read, and what is the pitch?

てきとう — both characters take their ordinary on-yomi, and the transcription tekitō marks the long vowel that tekitou spells out. The accent is flat: no drop inside the word, and a particle after it stays high. Write it in kanji; kana てきとう turns up in casual chat but reads as deliberately breezy.

References

Sources and usage notes

Kotobank: 適当 — Records suitable, moderate and careless senses of 適当.

Nearby

Where this word turns up

ておく vs てしまうte oku · te shimau

適当にやっておく — and what your boss hears

がち vs っぽい vs 気味gachi · ppoi · gimi

適当になりがち — it tends to end up slapdash

面倒くさいmendokusai

面倒だから適当に — the reason it got done badly

JLPT N2level index

every N2 grammar point on the site

地味 vs 派手じみ・はで

a word whose two senses pull in opposite directions

ちゃんと vs しっかりちゃんと・しっかり

slapdash, where ちゃんと is pass or fail

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