悪い

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
わる
Grade: 3
kun'yomi
Alternative spelling
惡い (kyūjitai)

From classical わろし (waroshi). Compare まるい (marui) < まろし (maroshi).

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

  • Tokyo pitch accent of inflected forms of 「悪い
Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary
Stem forms
Continuative (連用形) 悪く るく
[wáꜜrùkù]
[wàrúꜜkù]
Terminal (終止形) 悪い [wàrúꜜì]
Attributive (連体形) 悪い [wàrúꜜì]
Key constructions
Informal negative 悪くない るくない
くない
[wáꜜrùkùnàì]
[wàrúꜜkùnàì]
Informal past 悪かった るかった
かった
[wáꜜrùkàttà]
[wàrúꜜkàttà]
Informal negative past 悪くなかった るくなかった
くなかった
[wáꜜrùkùnàkàttà]
[wàrúꜜkùnàkàttà]
Formal 悪いです いです [wàrúꜜìdèsù]
Conjunctive 悪くて るくて
くて
[wáꜜrùkùtè]
[wàrúꜜkùtè]
Conditional 悪ければ るければ
ければ
[wáꜜrùkèrèbà]
[wàrúꜜkèrèbà]

Adjective

(わる) • (warui-i (adverbial (わる) (waruku))

  1. bad, wicked, evil
    (わる)(ひと)
    warui hito
    bad person
  2. wrong, to blame
    (わる)かった。
    Warukatta.
    My bad.
  3. inferior
  4. improper, bad
    調(ちょう)()(わる)
    chōshi ga warui
    out of form
  5. harmful, damaging
    心臓(しんぞう)(わる)
    shinzō ni warui
    bad for the heart (a phrase used in response to an astonishment, etc.)
  6. sick, unwell, ill
    • 1932, Motojirō Kajii, のんきな患者 [Nonki na Kanja, The Carefree Patient]:
      (よし)()(はい)(わる)
      Yoshida wa hai ga warui.
      Yoshida has sick lungs.
  7. sorry; apologetic; regretful; "my bad"
    (わる)けど、明日(あした)ね。
    Warui kedo, ashita ne.
    Tomorrow, okay? I'm sorry.
Inflection
Idioms
  • (あたま)(わる) (atama ga warui)
  • (わる)(むし)() (warui mushi ga tsuku)
  • (わる)いようにはしない (warui yō ni wa shinai)

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
にく
Grade: 3
kun'yomi
Alternative spelling
惡い (kyūjitai)
For pronunciation and definitions of 悪い – see the following entries.
にく
[adjective] hateful, detestable, abominable
(This term, 悪い, is an alternative spelling of the above term.)
にく
[suffix] difficult or hard to do (emphasis on the disagreeability of performing the action)
(This term, 悪い, is an alternative spelling (rare) of the above term.)

References

  1. ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  2. ^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
  • 2002, Ineko Kondō; Fumi Takano; Mary E Althaus; et. al., Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary, Third Edition, Tokyo: Shōgakukan, →ISBN.