～だらけ — Covered in, full of (something bad) | JLPT N3 grammar

Meaning

“Covered with” or “full of”: 泥だらけ, covered in mud; 間違いだらけ, full of mistakes; 借金だらけ, deep in debt. It typically describes undesirable things with disapproval. Conversational positive exaggeration also occurs: いい人だらけ, “good people everywhere.”

Formation

N＋だらけ: 泥 → 泥だらけ, 間違い → 間違いだらけ, わからないこと → わからないことだらけ
Before a noun: だらけの＋N (傷だらけの手)
Predicate and linking: だらけだ／だらけです, だらけで、…
Change of state: だらけになる (靴が泥だらけになった)

When to use it

Where to use it: For a surface covered in mud, dust, sand or paint (顔が泥だらけ), and for anything with too much of something bad — mistakes, lies, problems (問題だらけ).
Where not to use it: It is not simply “only” (ばかり). It attaches to nouns: ✗汚れるだらけ → 汚れだらけ. For neutral or clearly positive fullness, でいっぱい is a safer choice, but positive だらけ is not grammatically forbidden.

Examples

20 sentences

サッカーの練習れんしゅうで、靴くつが泥どろだらけになった。
My shoes got caked in mud at soccer practice.
このレポートは間違いまちがいだらけで、全部ぜんぶ直さなければなおさなければならない。
This report is riddled with mistakes, so the whole thing has to be fixed.
傷きずだらけの手てを見てみて、父ちちの苦労くろうがわかった。
Seeing my father's scarred, battered hands, I understood how hard he'd had it.
何年なんねんも掃除そうじしていない部屋へやは、ほこりだらけだった。
The room, which hadn't been cleaned in years, was thick with dust.
新しいあたらしい仕事しごとは、わからないことだらけです。
My new job is full of things I don't understand.
公園こうえんのベンチの下したがごみだらけで、驚きましたおどろきました。
I was shocked to find the area under the park benches strewn with trash.
子どもこどもたちは砂すなだらけになって、楽しそうにたのしそうに遊んであそんでいる。
The kids are having a great time, covered head to toe in sand.
彼かれの話はなしはうそだらけだから、信じないしんじないほうがいい。
His stories are full of lies, so you'd better not believe him.

12 more examples

借金しゃっきんだらけの会社かいしゃを、彼かれが立て直したたてなおした。
He turned around a company that was drowning in debt.
どうしてズボンがペンキだらけなの？
Why are your pants covered in paint?
テストが返ってかえってきたら、バツだらけだった。
When I got my test back, it was covered in X marks.
古本屋ふるほんやで買ったかった教科書きょうかしょは、線せんや書き込みかきこみだらけでした。
The textbook I bought at a secondhand bookstore was full of underlining and notes.
そんな穴あなだらけの計画けいかくでは、うまくいくはずがない。
A plan that full of holes can't possibly work.
引っ越したひっこしたばかりで、部屋へやは段ボールだんぼーるだらけです。
We've just moved, so the room is full of cardboard boxes.
駅前えきまえはチェーン店ちぇーんてんだらけで、どの町まちも同じにおなじに見えるみえる。
The areas around stations are packed with chain stores, so every town looks the same.
子猫こねこが遊んだあそんだあと、ソファーが毛けだらけになっていた。
After the kitten had been playing, the sofa was covered in fur.
このクラスはいい人ひとだらけで、毎日まいにち楽しいたのしいです。
This class is full of nice people, so every day is fun.
人生じんせいは失敗しっぱいだらけだけど、後悔こうかいはしていない。
My life has been full of failures, but I have no regrets.
台風たいふうが過ぎたすぎたあと、庭にわは折れたおれた枝えだだらけだった。
After the typhoon passed, the garden was littered with broken branches.
しわだらけのシャツで面接めんせつに行くいくつもり？
Are you really going to a job interview in that wrinkled shirt?

Important notes

It usually sounds like a complaint, but about kids after playing it can be affectionate: 砂だらけになって遊ぶ.
だらけ is about a surface or an excess of contents; for a full container (a box, a hall), 〜でいっぱい is more natural.
でいっぱい is neutral “full”; だらけ highlights abundance or a covered surface and is more often negative, though a positive conversational reading is possible.

Common mistakes

△ 庭が花だらけできれいだ。 — conversational exaggeration is possible; 庭が花でいっぱいできれいだ is more neutral. Disapproval is typical of だらけ, but not obligatory.
✗ 傷だらけな手 → ✓ 傷だらけの手 — だらけ behaves like a noun, so it takes の before another noun.
✗ 彼の顔は泥ばかりだ → ✓ 彼の顔は泥だらけだ — ばかり means “only”; “covered in” is だらけ.

Check yourself

Pick the translation of each sentence. The wrong options translate similar patterns, so watch the grammar rather than the words.

Sentence 1: 借金しゃっきんだらけの会社かいしゃを、彼かれが立て直したたてなおした。 He gets bored easily, so his hobbies never last long.I just ate lunch.He turned around a company that was drowning in debt.
Sentence 2: 駅前えきまえはチェーン店ちぇーんてんだらけで、どの町まちも同じにおなじに見えるみえる。 The areas around stations are packed with chain stores, so every town looks the same.The French restaurant by the station doesn't feel fancy, so it's easy to walk into.I just came to Japan.
Sentence 3: しわだらけのシャツで面接めんせつに行くいくつもり？ Where did you get that whitish shirt?My younger brother eats nothing but sweets.Are you really going to a job interview in that wrinkled shirt?