学校が嫌い
gakkō ga kirai
To say "hate school" in Japanese, use 学校が嫌い (gakkō ga kirai).
The phrase is used to express a strong dislike for attending or being at school. While 嫌い (kirai) translates to "dislike" or "hate", using it is a very direct and strong way to express negative feelings in Japanese compared to more subtle expressions.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 学校 (school), the particle が (subject marker) and 嫌い (dislike/hate).
How does it change in a sentence?
To express that you hated school in the past, change the adjective 嫌い to its past tense form 嫌いでした. Adding です to the end of the phrase, as in 学校が嫌いです, makes it a polite, standard way to express the feeling. You can also use the formal version 学校を嫌っています to express a continuous dislike for school.
How do you pronounce it?
gakkō ga kirai
Did you know?
- Students who cannot bring themselves to attend school due to anxiety or social pressure are described as 登校拒否 (tōkō kyohi), which literally translates to 'refusal to go to school'.
- The word 学校 (gakkō) is composed of the characters for 'learning' and 'building', but in casual speech, students often refer to their specific school simply as うち (uchi), meaning 'my house' or 'my circle'.
- In Japanese culture, expressing that you 'hate' something like school is often softened by adding ちょっと (chotto), meaning 'a little', even if the person actually hates it intensely.
Examples in context
- 学校の授業が嫌いですか？Do you dislike school lessons?
- はい、学校が嫌いです。Yes, I hate school.
- 最近、学校が嫌いだな。I've been really hating school lately.
- 学校が嫌い。gakkou ga kirai.I hate school.
- どうして学校が嫌いなの？doushite gakkou ga kirai nano?Why do you hate school?
Example conversation
Two students are talking during their break at a cafe.
- 陽太 Yota実は、最近学校が嫌いなんだ。jitsu wa, saikin gakkou ga kirai nanda.Actually, lately I've been hating school.
- 結衣 Yui陽太くん、何かあったの？Youta-kun, nani ka atta no?Youta, did something happen?
- 陽太 Yotaテストが大変すぎて、学校が嫌いになっちゃった。tesuto ga taihen sugite, gakkou ga kirai ni natchatta.The tests are too hard, so I've come to hate school.
- 結衣 Yuiあまり無理しないでね。amari muri shinai de ne.Don't push yourself too hard.
