How to Say "Horrible" in Japanese

最悪

saiaku

The Japanese word for "horrible" is 最悪 (saiaku).

最悪 is used to translate to "the worst" and can be used to describe absolutely dreadful situations or experiences.

Meaning: tremendously bad (adj)

What does it mean word for word?

The word is composed of the characters for "most" (最) and "bad" (悪), literally meaning "the worst".

When used as an adjective directly before a noun, the particle な is added to 最悪, resulting in the form 最悪な.

saiaku

Depending on the tone, 最悪 can be used sarcastically to describe something that is actually great, though this is typically reserved for very close friends.
The character 悪 in 最悪 is also used in the word for 'evil' or 'wickedness', giving the phrase a much heavier, darker undertone than the English word 'horrible'.
In a business setting, calling a situation 最悪 is considered extremely strong and potentially alarmist, so professionals often use softer euphemisms instead.

状況は最悪だ。
The situation is horrible.
This sentence is useful for describing a horrible situation.
Tatoeba #5748760 by daifons, translation #9684974 by DJ_Saidez
月曜は、最悪な日だった。
Monday was a horrible day.
This sentence shows how to describe a horrible day.
Tatoeba #11557499 by small_snow, translation #4494192 by CK
昨日の夜から頭がずきずきするし、気持ち悪いし、もう最悪。
I've been having a terrible headache since last night, I feel horrible, it's the worst feeling.
This sentence uses the word to express a feeling of being at the worst point due to physical discomfort.
Tatoeba #867793 by bunbuku, translation #888669 by Scott

Kenta and Misaki are talking about a bad experience at a concert.

健太 Kenta

昨日のライブ、最悪だったね。
Kinou no raibu, saiyaku datta ne.
Yesterday's concert was horrible, wasn't it?
美咲 Misaki

うん、本当に最悪だった。
Un, hontou ni saiyaku datta.
Yeah, it was truly horrible.
健太 Kenta

音響もひどかったし。
Onkyou mo hidokatta shi.
The sound quality was terrible, too.
美咲 Misaki

そうだね、残念だったね。
Sou dane, zannen datta ne.
That's true, it was a shame.

Sources

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