苦い
nigai[ɲ̟iɡa̠i]
The Japanese word for bitter is 苦い (nigai).
苦い is used to describe something that has an acrid or bitter taste, such as coffee. It can also be used metaphorically to describe unpleasant or bitter experiences, such as a bitter memory.
Meaning: having an acrid taste (adj)
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
To make the expression polite, you can add です to form 苦いです.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express that something was bitter, use the past tense form 苦かった. To say that something is not bitter, use the negative form 苦くない. When using 苦い as an adjective to modify a noun, it remains in its dictionary form.
How do you pronounce it?
nigai
Did you know?
- Japanese differentiates between 苦い ('bitter') and 渋い ('astringent'), a distinction often lost in English when describing the taste of tea or unripe persimmons.
- The word 苦い shares a linguistic root with the word 苦しみ (kurushimi), which means 'suffering' or 'pain', illustrating a deep connection between physical bitterness and emotional distress in the language.
- The phrase 苦い経験 describes a 'bitter experience' as something that provides a valuable life lesson. It frames a negative failure as a tool for personal growth.
Examples in context
- めちゃ苦い。It's very bitter.This sentence demonstrates a very casual way to say something is very bitter using 苦い.Tatoeba #11157346 by small_snow, translation #2249348 by CK
- この薬は苦い。This medicine tastes bitter.This sentence shows how to describe the taste of medicine using 苦い.Tatoeba #219288 by tommy__san, translation #56604 by CK
- すごく苦いです。It's so bitter.This sentence shows the polite form of the word 苦い.Tatoeba #11157356 by small_snow, translation #2973508 by AlanF_US
- このチョコレートはにがいですね。This chocolate is bitter, isn't it?
- このゴーヤはにがくなってきた。This bitter melon has become more bitter.
- このレモンはすごくにがいんだよ。This lemon is really bitter, you know.
- 19 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Kenta and Himari are trying a new dark chocolate.
- 健太 Kentaこのチョコ、すごく苦いね。Kono choko, sugoku nigai ne.This chocolate is really bitter, isn't it?
- 陽葵 Himari本当だ。でも、美味しいよ。Honto da. Demo, oishii yo.True. But it's delicious.
- 健太 Kenta陽葵は甘い方が好き？Himari wa amai ho ga suki?Do you prefer sweet things, Himari?
- 陽葵 Himariうん、やっぱり甘い方が好き。Un, yappari amai ho ga suki.Yeah, I definitely prefer sweet things.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bitter” translations and entries 苦い, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
