嫌い
kirai[kʲiɾa̠i]
嫌い (kirai) is the Japanese phrase for "I dislike".
嫌い is used to express that you do not like someone or something. Because it is a strong expression, it can be perceived as quite blunt or harsh in social situations.
How does it change in a sentence?
When forming a standard sentence, the object that is disliked is marked with the particle が rather than を. To use 嫌い as an adjective to modify a noun, it takes the particle な (as in 嫌いな).
How do you pronounce it?
kirai
Did you know?
- In some romantic or playful contexts, a person might say 大嫌い (daikirai) to a partner. While it usually means 'I loathe you', it can function as a teasing way to say 'I love you so much it's frustrating'.
- When describing a person you cannot stand, Japanese speakers often use 苦手 (nigate) instead of 嫌い. While 'nigate' literally means 'to be bad at' something, it acts as a polite euphemism for social incompatibility.
- The word 嫌い (kirai) is not actually a verb, even though it expresses an action. It is grammatically a 'na-adjective', which means you are technically describing an object as being 'dislikable' rather than stating that you are performing the act of disliking it.
Examples in context
- 大都市は嫌いです。I dislike big cities.Tatoeba #137375 by KK_kaku_, translation #275861 by CK
- 僕はコーヒーが嫌いだよ。I dislike coffee.Tatoeba #196359 by small_snow, translation #435429 by CK
- 人前で話すのが嫌いなんだ。I dislike speaking in public.Tatoeba #155648 by small_snow, translation #258890 by CK
- トマトが嫌いですI dislike tomatoes
- 料理は好きじゃありませんI don't like cooking
- 魚は嫌いだI dislike fish
- あのラブホテルは大好きじゃないI really don't like that love hotel
- 12 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing their food preferences at a restaurant.
- 健太 Kenta納豆は好き？Nattou wa suki?Do you like natto?
- 美咲 Misakiうーん、実は嫌いです。Uun, jitsu wa kirai desu.Hmm, actually I dislike it.
- 健太 Kentaそうなんだ。僕も嫌いだよ。Sou nanda. Boku mo kirai da yo.I see. I dislike it too.
- 美咲 Misakiじゃあ、別のものを頼もう。Jaa, betsu no mono o tanomou.Then, let's order something else.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 嫌い, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
