〜まみれ

Covered in

Level 5Sounds Like mamire

The suffix 〜まみれ is used when something (usually a person or clothing) is heavily coated or stained with a substance. It almost always carries a negative, dirty, or messy nuance.

How It Works

1. Usage and Nuance
〜まみれ is derived from the verb まみれる (to be smeared). It describes a state where a surface is thoroughly covered by a substance that is difficult to remove. Because it implies filth or a struggle, it is rarely used for positive things. For example, you wouldn't say 'covered in flowers' using 〜まみれ unless the flowers were crushed into a messy paste.

2. Common Substances
It is most frequently paired with nouns like:

  • 泥（どろ） - Mud
  • 血（ち） - Blood
  • 汗（あせ） - Sweat
  • 埃（ほこり） - Dust
  • 油（あぶら） - Oil/Grease
  • 砂（すな） - Sand
  • 雪（ゆき） - Snow

3. Metaphorical Exceptions
While usually physical, there are common abstract uses for things that 'stain' one's character or life:

  • 借金（しゃっきん）まみれ - Drowning in debt
  • 欲（よく）まみれ - Covered in greed / Driven by greed
  • 嘘（うそ）まみれ - Covered in lies / Full of lies

Examples (4)

  1. 泥まみれになって、サッカーの練習をした。

    I practiced soccer until I was covered in mud.

    Word by Word: Mud-covered becoming, soccer's practice (I) did.

    This is the most classic use of the pattern, describing a person's body or clothes being coated in a messy substance.

  2. その男は血まみれのナイフを持って立っていた。

    The man stood there holding a blood-stained knife.

    Word by Word: That man (topic) blood-covered knife (object) holding was standing.

    When used with 'blood' (血), it emphasizes that the object is heavily stained or dripping.

  3. 彼はギャンブルで借金まみれだ。

    He is drowning in debt due to gambling.

    Word by Word: He (topic) gambling by debt-covered is.

    This is a common metaphorical use. It implies the debt is overwhelming and 'dirty' like mud.

  4. 工事現場で働いているので、毎日埃まみれになります。

    Since I work at a construction site, I get covered in dust every day.

    Word by Word: Construction site at working because, every day dust-covered (I) become.

    Describes being coated in a fine powder (dust) that is unpleasant and messy.

Common Mistakes

  • Using it for things that don't 'coat' a surface.

    この作文は間違いまみれだ。
    この作文は間違いだらけだ。

    Mistakes (間違い（まちがい）) don't smear or coat a surface like a liquid. For things that are 'full of' or 'scattered with' items, use 〜だらけ instead.

  • Using it for positive or clean things.

    公園は花まみれで、とてもきれいだ。
    公園は花がいっぱいで、とてもきれいだ。

    Using 〜まみれ with flowers (花（はな）) makes it sound like the flowers are crushed and messy. For positive 'full of' situations, use いっぱい or 〜だらけ depending on the context.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

〜まみれLevel 5Covered in

Learn This First

〜まみれ is a suffix added to nouns to indicate that something is covered in an unpleasant substance (like mud, blood, or debt). To use it, you simply need to know how to attach it to a noun and how to end the sentence using the copula.

Words in This Pattern

まみれ