Meaning and Usage
散らかす (ちらかす) means to scatter things around or to leave a place untidy. It often implies a mess caused by careless or hurried actions, such as children playing or someone not cleaning up after themselves.
Common Contexts
This verb is frequently used when talking about rooms, desks, or any space that can become cluttered. It is often used in everyday conversation, especially in family or home settings.
Collocations and Patterns
- 部屋を散らかす: to mess up a room
- 机の上を散らかす: to leave the desk messy
- 書類を散らかす: to scatter documents
These collocations emphasize the physical disorder caused by scattering or leaving things untidy.
Register and Politeness
散らかす is a neutral verb and can be used in casual and polite speech. When asking someone not to make a mess, it is common to use the negative form with ください (please).
Common Mistakes
Learners sometimes confuse 散らかす with 散る (ちる), which means "to fall" or "to scatter" but is intransitive. 散らかす is transitive and requires an object that is being scattered or messed up.