The Meaning of ijiwaru [意地悪] In Japanese

意地悪
いじわる
Romaji: ijiwaru N5

What does 意地悪 mean?

Translation and Meaning

spiteful, mean, ill-tempered, nasty

Definition

意地悪 means ‘spiteful’ or ‘mean-spirited.’ It describes a person who intentionally treats others badly to hurt or upset them, driven by petty malice rather than anger or misunderstanding.

Type

adjective (na-adjective, 形容動詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • primary sense: describing intentional cruelty or unkind behavior toward others, often over small matters
  • usage with nouns or phrases: 意地悪な人, 意地悪な言動, 意地悪をする; used for both people and actions
  • register: common in everyday speech; can be pejorative but not the strongest insult

Etymology

Native compound formed from 意地 meaning will or temper and 悪 meaning bad; pronunciation ijiwaru arises from the standard kun readings joined in a common formation, with no external loanword influence.

Composition

  • 意地: temper, stubborn will
  • 地: ground/earth; here contributing to the sense of a trait
  • 悪: bad

Usage

Used in casual to semi-formal speech to describe a person or behavior that is intentionally cruel or petty. Common patterns include 意地悪だ, 意地悪な人, 意地悪な言動; often used to describe explicit intention to hurt, mock, or embarrass someone.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: imagine a stubborn will (意地) turning bad (悪); that ‘bad will’ is what characterizes 意地悪, so picture a scowling person with a thought bubble saying bad intention.

Variations

  • いじわる (ijiwaru) — synonym: same meaning, commonly used in speech
  • ひどい (hidoi) — stronger sense of cruelty
  • 思いやりがある / 優しい (omoiyari ga aru / yasashii) — antonym

Example Phrases

  • 今朝、彼女は私に意地悪を言った。
    Kesa, kanojo wa watashi ni ijiwaru o itta.
    This morning, she said something mean to me.
    Lista:
    • 今朝 (kesa) – this morning
    • 彼女は (kanojo wa) – she (topic)
    • 私に (watashi ni) – to me
    • 意地悪を (ijiwaru o) – a mean thing
    • 言った (itta) – said
    In this sentence, 「意地悪」 means ‘mean/spiteful’; it is a noun used with を to indicate the thing said, as in 「意地悪を言う」 meaning ‘to say something mean’.
意地悪