いかれる (ikareru: to be crazy)
なあ、この運転手、いかれてるよ。
Nā, kono untenshu, ikareteruyo.
Oh, the driver is a maniac.運転手 (untenshu: driver) operation, driving (1st 2 chars.) + holder of an occupation (-er)
The first two kanji, 運転 (unten: operation, driving), break down as to move skillfully + to rotate.
The last kanji, 手, is functioning here as a suffix. To learn more about kanji prefixes and suffixes, see Crazy for Kanji, Exhibit 42, “Just the Facts: Helping Hands” (pages 92 through 95).
If your driver doesn’t speak Japanese and your companion does, this sentence might be a useful way to communicate about getting out of an insane taxi driver’s cab. My husband and I once faced this situation as we sat in the back of a cab from La Jolla to San Diego. Periodically, our driver’s body grew rigid and straight and trembled violently for five to ten seconds at a time, as if he were having the d.t.’s or a seizure. He moaned deeply as this was happening, all the while speeding along as if he were in full control of the vehicle. I’ve never in my life been so scared of someone’s driving. But we stayed in it for the long haul (and it certainly felt long), because we couldn’t very well have him leave us by the side of a highway. By the way, even if my husband spoke Japanese, there’s no way I could have summoned up なあ、この運転手、いかれてるよ, given my level of fear.
