悪い男
warui otoko
The English phrase 'bad boy' can be translated into Japanese as 悪い男 (warui otoko).
悪い男 is used to describe a man who behaves badly or is morally corrupt.
Which one should you use?
悪い男 specifically refers to an adult man, whereas 悪い子 is used for children or to describe someone's character in a more juvenile or playful way. For a 'wild' or 'naughty' boy with a playful connotation, you might use やんちゃな男の子, while 不良少年 is used to denote a 'delinquent young man' involved in rebellious behavior.
How do you pronounce it?
warui otoko
Did you know?
- The concept of the 'bad boy' in Japan is often linked to the yankee subculture, a term borrowed from 'Yankee' but referring to rebellious youth with dyed hair and modified school uniforms.
- If you call a man 悪い男 in a romantic context, it can actually function as a compliment, implying he is a 'dangerous' or 'rebellious' type that is irresistibly charming.
- Japanese has a specific term チャラ男 (chara-otoko) for a 'shallow' or 'flirty' bad boy, derived from the onomatopoeia for something light and superficial.
Examples in context
- 昨日のクラスで悪い子がいました。There was a bad boy in yesterday's class.
- やんちゃな男の子が公園で騒いでいる。A naughty boy is causing a ruckus in the park.
- 彼は本当に悪い男だ。Kare wa hontō ni warui otoko da.He is truly a bad man.
- 悪い男には気をつけなさい。Warui otoko ni wa ki o tsukenasai.Be careful of bad men.
- あの人は悪い男として有名だ。Ano hito wa warui otoko to shite yūmei da.That person is famous as a bad man.
Example conversation
Himari is telling Kenta about her ex-boyfriend.
- 陽葵 Himari前の彼氏は本当に悪い男だったわ。Mae no kareshi wa hontō ni warui otoko datta wa.My previous boyfriend was a really bad boy.
- 健太 Kenta具体的に何をしていたの？Gutaiteki ni nani o shite ita no?What specifically was he doing?
- 陽葵 Himari嘘ばかりついて、お金を使い切ったの。Uso bakari tsuite, okane o tsukaikitta no.He told nothing but lies and spent all the money.
- 健太 Kentaそれはひどいね。もう大丈夫だよ。Sore wa hidoi ne. Mō daijōbu da yo.That's terrible. You'll be fine now.
