悪口
warukuchi[β̞a̠ɾɯ̟kɯ̟̊t͡ɕi]
The Japanese phrase for "bad words" is 悪口 (warukuchi).
悪口 refers to the act of speaking ill of someone or the insults themselves, rather than 'bad words' in the sense of profanity or swear words.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the action of bad-mouthing someone, use the verb 言う (iu, to say) with the particle を (wo) after 悪口.
How do you pronounce it?
warukuchi
Did you know?
- The phrase 悪口 is rooted in the Buddhist concept of the 'ten evils', specifically referring to the spiritual sin of harmful speech.
- If you want to describe someone as having a 'foul mouth' in Japanese, you would often use the word 口が悪い, which literally means 'the mouth is bad'.
- Because 悪口 is about slander, a person can be accused of it even if they only say a fact that is true but unkind.
Examples in context
- 悪口はよくないですよ。Waruguchi wa yokunai desu yo.Bad words are not good.
- 人の悪口を言ってはいけません。Hito no waruguchi o itte wa ikemasen.You must not say bad words about people.
- 彼女は陰で悪口を言っていました。Kanojo wa kage de waruguchi o itte imashita.She was saying bad words behind someone's back.
Example conversation
Yui and Yota are talking about a disagreement at school.
- 陽太 Yotaあいつの悪口を言いたい気分だよ。Aitsu no waruguchi o iitai kibun da yo.I feel like saying bad words about him.
- 結衣 Yui陽太くん、そんなことはやめよう。Yota-kun, sonna koto wa yameyou.Yota, let's not do that.
- 陽太 Yotaでも、すごく腹が立っているんだ。Demo, sugoku hara ga tatte iru n da.But, I am really angry.
- 結衣 Yui悪口を言っても、解決しないよ。Waruguchi o itte mo, kaiketsu shinai yo.Even if you say bad words, it won't solve anything.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 悪口, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 悪口, CC BY-SA 4.0.
