大嫌い
daikirai[da̠ikʲiɾa̠i]
To say "I hate something" in Japanese, use 大嫌い (daikirai).
大嫌い is a strong expression used to convey that you strongly dislike someone or something. Because Japanese often omits the subject, depending on the context, 大嫌い can mean "I hate it", "He hates it" or "They hate it".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Osaka dialect, the expression 大嫌いやねん is used.
How do you pronounce it?
daikirai
Did you know?
- In Japanese, 大嫌い is often used between close friends or lovers to express a 'tsundere' dynamic, where someone says 'I hate you' to hide the fact that they actually like the person.
- While 大嫌い is a strong word, Japanese speakers often use the phrase 苦手 ('nigate') to politely say they dislike something by framing it as a personal lack of skill or compatibility.
- The word 大嫌い is composed of the character for 'big' or 'great' combined with 'dislike'. In English, we often use 'really' or 'very' to intensify a feeling, but Japanese uses a scale of size.
Examples in context
- 野菜は、大嫌いです。Yasai wa, daikirai desu.I hate vegetables.
- 嘘をつく人は大嫌いだ。Uso o tsuku hito wa daikirai da.I hate people who lie.
- 雨の日は大嫌いだよ。Ame no hi wa daikirai da yo.I really hate rainy days.
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their favorite foods.
- 陽太 Yota美咲は、納豆は好き？Misaki wa, natto wa suki?Misaki, do you like natto?
- 美咲 Misakiううん、大嫌いだよ。Uun, daikirai da yo.No, I hate it.
- 陽太 Yotaそうなんだ。僕も苦手だよ。Sou nanda. Boku mo nigate da yo.I see. I'm not a fan either.
- 美咲 Misakiじゃあ、お肉を食べよう！Jaa, oniku o tabeyou!Then, let's eat meat!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 大嫌い, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 大嫌い, CC BY-SA 4.0.
