憎らしい
nikurashii[ɲ̟ikɯ̟ɾa̠ɕiː]
The English word 'hateful' is translated into Japanese as 憎らしい (nikurashii).
憎らしい is used to describe someone or something that is hateful. While it can be used in a serious sense to express hate, it is frequently used in a more colloquial or even slightly playful way to describe something that is 'annoying' or 'irritating'.
Meaning: full of hate (adj)
Which one should you use?
There is a distinction between 憎らしい and 憎い (nikui). While 憎い expresses a much deeper, more intense and more serious hatred, 憎らしい often carries a nuance of being 'disagreeable' or 'vexing'.
How does it change in a sentence?
To use this word as an adverb to describe how an action is performed, such as acting hatefully or annoyingly, use the form 憎らしく (nikurashiku). To express the negative meaning of 'not hateful' or 'not annoying', use the form 憎らしくない (nikurashikunai).
How do you pronounce it?
nikurashii
Did you know?
- The phrase 憎い演出 (nikui enshutsu) uses the word for 'hate' to actually praise a performance. It describes a 'masterful' or 'clever' touch in a play or film that leaves an audience deeply impressed.
- Calling a small child 憎らしい is often a way of saying they are 'frustratingly cute' rather than expressing genuine malice.
- In Japanese, 憎らしい can be used to describe someone whose success or perfection is so great that it becomes irritating to the speaker.
Examples in context
- あの男性は憎らしい人だよ！That man is a hateful person!This sentence is useful for illustrating how to describe a person using 憎らしい.Tatoeba #10281672 by terrywallwork, translation #10281687 by terrywallwork
- 彼の行動は私にとって憎悪の対象です。His actions are the object of my hatred.
- 彼の冷酷な態度は私にとって忌まわしいです。His cruel attitude is detestable to me.
- 彼は本当に憎い奴だ。He is such a hateful person.
- あんな憎らしい態度は見たくない。Anna nikurashii taido wa mitakunai.I don't want to see such a hateful attitude.
Example conversation
Misaki and Yota are talking about a rude coworker.
- 美咲 Misakiあの人の態度は本当に憎らしいわね。Ano hito no taido wa hontou ni nikurashii wa ne.That person's attitude is truly hateful, isn't it?
- 陽太 Yotaああ、本当にひどい態度だよね。Aa, hontou ni hidoi taido da yo ne.Yeah, it's a really terrible attitude.
- 美咲 Misakiどうしてあんなに憎らしいのかしら。Doushite anna ni nikurashii no kashira.I wonder why they are so hateful.
- 陽太 Yota考えすぎないほうがいいよ、美咲。Kangaesugi nai hou ga ii yo, Misaki.You shouldn't think about it too much, Misaki.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 憎らしい, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
