DEPPA-RI でっぱり
Meanings
A part that projects or sticks outward; a protruding part.
Examples
・The most prominent projection on the face is the nose.
顔面の一番のでっぱり、それは鼻だ。
・On a battery, the protruding end is the positive terminal.
乾電池は、でっぱりがプラスだよ。
Dogmatic Opinion
DEPPA-RI is not really an onomatopoeic or mimetic word. It does not evoke one specific shape, nor does it necessarily suggest a rounded bulge. The protruding part may be functionally necessary, but the word can sometimes carry a slight sense that the part is in the way.
It can also be understood as the outward counterpart of a HEKOMI (凹み), or indentation: in simple shape terms, DEPPA-RI is the 凸 side rather than the 凹 side.
Because DEPPA-RI is an ordinary descriptive noun, natural English often depends on the object rather than on one fixed technical term.
Proximate Expression
bulge
protruberance
tumor
Related Words
For Japanese Learners
Possible translations include protrusion, projection, bump, or simply a part that sticks out. For “壁のでっぱり,” natural English might be “a protrusion in the wall” or “a part of the wall that sticks out.” Choose the English expression according to the actual shape and context.
