Grammar › Manner & Implication
まみれ — “covered in, smeared with (dirt/blood/sweat)”
Says something is thoroughly covered in a messy, usually unpleasant physical substance
Noun + まみれ says something is thoroughly covered or smeared in a physical, usually unpleasant substance — mud, blood, sweat, dust — “covered in X.” It's more visceral and physical than だらけ, which can describe abstract things too (間違いだらけ); まみれ sticks to tangible grime.
How to form it
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| Noun + まみれ | 泥まみれになって遊ぶ — playing until covered head to toe in mud |
Example sentences
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 一日中働いて、汗まみれになった。 | いちにちじゅうはたらいて、あせまみれになった。 ichinichijuuhataraite、asemamireninatta。 | I worked all day and ended up drenched in sweat. |
| 倉庫の荷物はほこりまみれだった。 | そうこのにもつはほこりまみれだった。 soukononimotsuhahokorimamiredatta。 | The boxes in the warehouse were covered in dust. |
| 転んで、膝が血まみれになった。 | ころんで、ひざがちまみれになった。 koronde、hizagachimamireninatta。 | I fell and my knee ended up covered in blood. |
🔊 Tap any Japanese sentence to hear it; kanji link to their study pages.
Watch out
まみれ is reserved for tangible, physical grime (mud, blood, sweat, dust, oil) — for abstract things like mistakes or debt, だらけ is the word you actually want (借金だらけ, not 借金まみれ).
