気味が悪い
kimi ga warui
The English word 'creepy' is translated into Japanese as 気味が悪い (kimi ga warui).
気味が悪い is used to describe something that causes discomfort or repulsion. While it specifically captures a sense of creepiness, you can also use related expressions depending on what you are describing: Kowai hito can refer to a scary person or someone who is creepy and bukimi na mono refers to a creepy thing or object.
Meaning: causing discomfort or repulsion (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
You can change the form of the adjective to fit different sentence structures.
How do you pronounce it?
kimi ga warui
Did you know?
- The word kimi in 気味が悪い does not mean 'you' as it does in common conversation, but refers to a 'feeling' or 'premonition'.
- The word 不気味 (bukimi), used for 'eerie' or 'creepy' objects, contains the character for 'spirit' or 'ghost', implying the creepiness comes from a supernatural presence.
- When something is so creepy it makes you feel nauseous, Japanese speakers often use the slang キモい (kimoi), which is a heavily abbreviated version of 気持ち悪い (kimochi warui).
Examples in context
- この人形は、なんだか気味が悪い。Kono ningyō wa, nandaka kimi ga warui.This doll is somewhat creepy.
- 夜の古い森は気味が悪い。Yoru no furui mori wa kimi ga warui.The old forest at night is creepy.
- あの人の視線は気味が悪い。Ano hito no shisen wa kimi ga warui.That person's gaze is creepy.
Example conversation
Hiyori and Ren are walking through a dark forest.
- 陽葵 Himariここ、すごく気味が悪いね。Koko, sugoku kimi ga warui ne.This place is really creepy, huh?
- 蓮 Renああ、早くここを出よう。Aa, hayaku koko o deyō.Yeah, let's get out of here quickly.
- 陽葵 Himari何かで見られている気がする。Nanika ni mirarete iru ki ga suru.I feel like something is watching us.
- 蓮 Ren考えすぎだよ、陽葵。Kangaesugi da yo, Hiyori.You're overthinking it, Hiyori.
