Translation and Meaning of: 悪い - nikui
On this page, we will study the meaning of the Japanese word 悪い (nikui) and its translation into English. Let's see their different meanings, example phrases, explanations, etymology and the similar words.
Romaji: nikui
Kana: にくい
Type: adjective
L: jlpt-n5
Translation / Meaning: hateful; abominable; poor looking
Meaning in English: hateful;abominable;poor-looking
Definition: It's not good. It causes feelings of guilt and discomfort.
Table of Content
- Etymology
- Writing
- Synonyms
- Example Phrases
Explanation and Etymology - (悪い) nikui
The Japanese word 「悪い」 (warui) is widely used in the Japanese language. This word is generally translated as "bad" or "evil" in various situations, but its use can vary depending on the context. In Japanese culture, expressions that involve evaluations or judgments often use the word 「悪い」. The origin of its use dates back to a feeling of negativity or inadequacy that the word carries.
Etymologically, 「悪い」 is composed of the kanji 「悪」 which is pronounced "aku" or "warui" and means "bad" or "evil" by itself. This kanji contains the radical 「心」 (kokoro), which means "heart" or "mind," indicating a connection with negative feelings or emotional states. The very composition symbolizes the idea of an undesirable or unfavorable state.
The term is quite flexible in its use. In addition to describing situations or objects as bad, it can also be used in conventional expressions like 「気分が悪い」 (kibun ga warui), which means "feeling bad." In social interactions, it can be employed as an informal apology — for example, 「ごめん、悪いね」 (gomen, warui ne), conveying a sense of humble apology.
On the other hand, the word 「にくい」 (nikui) can be a bit ambiguous in the Japanese language, depending on its usage. When written as 「憎い」 (nikui) with the kanji 「憎」 it means "hateful" or "detestable." However, 「にくい」 can also be used after verbs to form the adjective "-nikui" which indicates difficulty, as in 「食べにくい」 (tabenikui), which means "difficult to eat." This demonstrates how the Japanese language can be rich and complex in its nuances.
Interestingly, the difference in the application of 「悪い」 and 「にくい」 reflects the diversity in the Japanese language to express nuances in everyday feelings and experiences. While 「悪い」 is directly negative, 「にくい」 can vary depending on the intention and context. This versatility reflected in Japanese words allows for rich and sophisticated communication, perfect for exploring human feelings with remarkable depth.
How to Write in Japanese - (悪い) nikui
See below a step-by-step guide on how to write the word by hand in Japanese (悪い) nikui:
Synonyms and similar words
There are different ways of expressing the idea of "It's not good. It causes feelings of guilt and discomfort." in the Japanese language.
A way of saying "hateful; abominable; poor looking" é "(悪い) nikui".
Below is a list of Japanese words that have the same meaning or are a variation of the word. "(悪い) nikui":
- 酷い (Hidoi) - Horrible, terrible
- 惡い (Warui) - Bad, malicious
- 悪っぽい (Akuppoi) - Looks evil, has a bad appearance
- 悪質な (Akushitsu na) - Malicious, of bad nature
- 不良な (Furyou na) - Inadequate, of poor quality or behavior
- 不吉な (Fukitsu na) - Unfavorable, sinister
- 悪意のある (Akui no aru) - With malicious intentions
- 悪徳の (Akutoku no) - Depraved, vicious
- 悪霊の (Akuryo no) - Regarding evil spirits
- 悪魔の (Akuma no) - Relative to demons, evil
Words related to: 悪い
See also other related words from our dictionary:
Kana: きまりわるい
Romaji: kimariwarui
Meaning:
feeling awkward; to have shame
Kana: ネガ
Romaji: nega
Meaning:
(photographic) negative
Kana: あく
Romaji: aku
Meaning:
bad; evil
Kana: わるもの
Romaji: warumono
Meaning:
Bad Companion; Rascal; Ruffian; Scoundrel
Kana: むし
Romaji: mushi
Meaning:
insect
Kana: まずい
Romaji: mazui
Meaning:
not appetizing; unpleasant (taste appearance situation); ugly; uninterrupted; clumsy; bangornative; reckless; premature
Kana: ふりょう
Romaji: furyou
Meaning:
wickedness; delinquent; inferiority; failure; failure
Kana: ふひょう
Romaji: fuhyou
Meaning:
bad reputation; disgrace; unpopularity
Kana: ふちょう
Romaji: fuchou
Meaning:
bad state; not find out (i.e. an agreement); disagreement; smash; disorder; passed out; out of shape
Kana: ひょうばん
Romaji: hyouban
Meaning:
fame; reputation; popularity; Arrant
Words with the same pronunciation: にくい nikui
Example Sentences - (悪い) nikui
Below are some example sentences:
乾燥した空気は肌に悪い影響を与えます。
Kansō shita kūki wa hada ni warui eikyō o ataemasu
Dry air can have a negative effect on the skin.
Dry air has a bad effect on the skin.
- 乾燥した - dry
- 空気 - air
- 肌 - skin
- 悪い - bad
- 影響 - influence
- 与えます - cause
アルコールは健康に悪いです。
Arukōru wa kenkō ni warui desu
Alcohol is bad for your health.
Alcohol is bad for health.
- アルコール - alcohol
- は - topic particle
- 健康 - health
- に - target indication particle
- 悪い - bad, harmful
- です - verb ser/estar in the present
酸性の飲み物は歯に悪いです。
Sansei no nomimono wa ha ni warui desu
Acidic drinks are bad for the teeth.
Acidic drinks are bad for your teeth.
- 酸性の - acid
- 飲み物 - bebida
- は - topic particle
- 歯 - teeth
- に - particle indicating target
- 悪い - bad
- です - verb ser/estar in the present
足元が悪いと転びやすいです。
Ashimoto ga warui to korobi yasui desu
If the floor is bad
It's easy to fall if your feet are bad.
- 足元 - means "around the feet" or "floor" in Japanese.
- が - grammatical particle that indicates the subject of the sentence.
- 悪い - adjective meaning "bad" or "bad".
- と - grammatical particle that indicates a condition or situation.
- 転びやすい - verb meaning "easy to fall" or "prone to tripping."
- です - linking verb indicating a statement or assertion.
悪いことをするな。
Warui koto wo suru na
Bad Things Don't.
Don't do bad things.
- 悪い (warui) - Means "bad"
- こと (koto) - means "thing" or "subject"
- を (wo) - particle that marks the direct object of the sentence
- する (suru) - verb that means "to do"
- な (na) - particle indicating an order or prohibition
悪いことをしてはいけません。
Warui koto o shite wa ikemasen
Don't do bad things.
- 悪い - It means "bad" or "evil" in Japanese.
- こと - means "thing" or "matter" in Japanese.
- を - It is a *particle* in Japanese, used to mark the direct object of a sentence.
- して - It is the form of the verb "suru" (to do) in gerund in Japanese.
- は - It is a "partícula" of topic in Japanese, used to mark the main subject of the sentence.
- いけません - It is a polite form of the verb "iku" (to go) in Japanese, used to express a prohibition or a negative obligation.
仕舞いが悪い。
Shimai ga warui
The situation is bad.
The end is bad.
- 仕舞い (shimai) - means "end" or "conclusion".
- が (ga) - grammatical particle that indicates the subject of the sentence.
- 悪い (warui) - adjective meaning "bad" or "bad".
タバコを吸うのは健康に悪いです。
Tabako wo suu no wa kenkou ni warui desu
Smoking is harmful to health.
Smoking cigarettes is bad for your health.
- タバコ - tobacco - cigarette
- を - wo - direct object particle
- 吸う - suu - smoke, inhale
- のは - no wa - topic particle
- 健康 - kenkou - health
- に - ni - target particle
- 悪い - warui - bad, harmful
- です - desu - verb to be/estar
下水は環境に悪い影響を与える可能性があります。
Kasui wa kankyō ni warui eikyō o ataeru kanōsei ga arimasu
Sewage can have a bad effect on the environment.
- 下水 (gesui) - wastewater
- 環境 (kankyo) - environment
- 悪い (warui) - bad
- 影響 (eikyo) - influence, effect
- 与える (ataeru) - cause, give
- 可能性 (kanousei) - possibility
- あります (arimasu) - there is, there is
人を欺くことは悪いことです。
Hito wo azamuku koto wa warui koto desu
It's bad to deceive people.
- 人 - means "person" in Japanese.
- を - object particle in Japanese.
- 欺く - verb meaning "to deceive" or "to delude" in Japanese.
- こと - noun meaning "thing" or "fact" in Japanese.
- は - topic particle in Japanese.
- 悪い - adjective that means "bad" or "evil" in Japanese.
- こと - noun meaning "thing" or "fact" in Japanese.
- です - verb "to be" in Japanese, used to indicate an affirmation or a statement.
Other words of the same type: adjective
See other words from our dictionary that are also: adjective
