人生が嫌いだ
jinsei ga kirai da
The English phrase "I hate life" can be expressed in Japanese as 人生が嫌いだ (jinsei ga kirai da).
This expression is used to convey that a person is unhappy with their existence or the direction their life is taking. While 人生が嫌いだ focuses on one's lifetime, you may also use 人生にうんざりしてる to express that you are fed up with life.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 人生 (jinsei) specifically refers to one's human life span or lifetime, rather than life in a purely biological sense.
Which one should you use?
The form 人生が嫌いだ is a plain, assertive version often used in writing, monologues or when speaking with close friends. In casual spoken Japanese, the da at the end is frequently dropped, resulting in the truncated form 人生が嫌い.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
To express this politely to strangers or superiors, use 人生が嫌いです. For casual settings, you can use the plain form 人生が嫌いだ, the truncated 人生が嫌い or the even more informal 人生が嫌いだよ.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase 人生が嫌いだ, the particle が marks 人生 (life) as the object of the feeling 嫌い (hate).
How do you pronounce it?
jinsei ga kirai da
Did you know?
- In digital spaces, Japanese youth often use the term 詰んだ (tsunda) to express that their life is over or hopeless. This term comes from Shogi, a Japanese chess variant, and literally means 'checkmate'.
- While 人生が嫌いだ expresses a general hate for life, Japanese speakers often use the phrase 死にたい ('I want to die') as a casual, hyperbolic way to express the same level of frustration with a bad day.
- Japanese has a distinct word for 'life' as a biological process, 生命 (seimei), which is never used in this phrase. Using 生命が嫌いだ would sound like you hate the biological mechanism of cells and organs rather than your personal experience of living.
Examples in context
- 人生が嫌いだ。jinsei ga kirai da.I hate life.
- 今はただ、人生が嫌いだ。ima wa tada, jinsei ga kirai da.Right now, I just hate life.
Example conversation
Misaki is venting to Kenta after a bad day.
- 美咲 Misakiもうダメ。人生が嫌いだ。Mō dame. Jinsei ga kirai da.I'm done. I hate life.
- 健太 Kentaどうしたの？何があったの？Dō shita no? Nani ga atta no?What's wrong? What happened?
- 美咲 Misaki全部うまくいかないよ。Zenbu umaku ikanai yo.Nothing is going right.
- 健太 Kentaそんなことないよ。元気出して。Sonna koto nai yo. Genki dashite.That's not true. Cheer up.
