BETTO-RI べっとり
Meanings
1. Describes a liquid as so thick and sticky that it is difficult to wipe away.
2. Describes an unpleasant sticky or greasy substance spread broadly and clinging to a surface.
Examples
This paint is too thick and sticky to apply easily, so thin it a little first.
べっとりしたペンキは塗りづらいので、少し薄めて使います。
My hands are coated in oil, and even soap won’t get it off easily.
オイルが手にべっとりついて、石鹸を使ってもなかなか落ちない。
Dogmatic Opinion
BETTO-RI is basically unpleasant.
The expression focuses on strong viscosity and adhesion.
Compared with NETTO-RI, which can even be appetizing when describing something like a ripe mango, BETTO-RI more readily suggests that something has stuck to a surface and made it dirty or uncomfortable.
The substance is not merely thick. It has attached itself where you do not want it and resists removal.
Related Words
For Japanese Learners
Sticky, greasy, smeared, coated, thickly coated, and coated in grease may fit. “油でべっとり” is naturally “coated in grease” or “covered in oily grime.” Compared with NETTO-RI, BETTO-RI tends to make the surface contamination and unpleasantness more prominent.
