いい加減

いいかげん · iikagen · JLPT N1 · na-adj

random

🎲 いい (good) + 加減 (adjustment): sarcastic 'good tweaking' that came to mean careless or random

Origin: people called a sloppy job いい加減 with heavy sarcasm, since it was anything but well adjusted. Over time the sarcasm faded, leaving 'careless' or 'random'. The dice match the randomness.

加 — force 力 + mouth 口
加 is traditionally analyzed as a compound of 力 (strength) and 口 (mouth), suggesting boasting or exaggerating one's effort with words. From this it extended to the meaning 'to add' or 'increase'. Today it is used broadly for addition, both literal and figurative.

More Japanese words · How Japanese works