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ぼやく

to grumble; to gripe; to complain (under one's breath)

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Examples

  1. 父はいつも給料が安いとぼやいている。

    ちちはいつもきゅうりょうがやすいとぼやいている。

    My father is always grumbling that his pay is low.

  2. ぼやいてばかりいないで、行動したらどうだ。

    ぼやいてばかりいないで、こうどうしたらどうだ。

    Instead of just griping, why don't you do something?

  3. 彼は小声で何かぼやいたが、聞き取れなかった。

    かれはこごえでなにかぼやいたが、ききとれなかった。

    He muttered some complaint under his breath, but I couldn't catch it.

Common patterns

～とぼやく
to grumble that ...
ぼやいてばかりいる
to do nothing but complain
ぶつぶつぼやく
to mutter complaints

Memory tip

Colloquial and slightly comic: grumbling half to yourself rather than confronting anyone. 文句を言う is complaining to someone's face, and 愚痴をこぼす is the set phrase for pouring out one's gripes.

Quick check

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What does ぼやく mean?