人間嫌い
The Japanese word for misanthrope is 人間嫌い.
人間嫌い describes one who has a negative view of the entire human race.
Meaning: one who has a negative view of the entire human race (noun)
Did you know?
- While 人間嫌い means 'misanthrope', the suffix 嫌い is also used to describe a simple dislike for food or hobbies, such as ピーマン嫌い for someone who hates green peppers.
- In Japanese, the concept of 'hating people' is often framed as 人付き合いが苦手 (being bad at dealing with people) to be more polite than calling oneself a 人間嫌い.
- While it means 'misanthrope', the term 人間嫌い can also be used to describe someone who is simply socially anxious or shy in a specific situation.
Examples in context
- この映画、楽しみだけど、大勢の人が苦手で、人嫌いなんだよね。I'm looking forward to this movie, but I dislike being around a large number of people. I'm a misanthrope, you know?
- ああ、僕も人嫌いだから、人が多い場所は苦手だよ。Oh, I'm a misanthrope too, so places with a lot of people make me uncomfortable.
- もしかしたら、彼は人嫌いかもしれないね。Maybe he's a misanthrope, you never know.
- 彼は極度の人間嫌いです。Kare wa kyokudo no ningen-girai desu.He is an extreme misanthrope.
- 人間嫌いというわけではありません。Ningen-girai to iu wake de wa arimasen.It is not that I am a misanthrope.
- 彼女は少し人間嫌いなところがある。Kanojo wa sukoshi ningen-girai na tokoro ga aru.She has a bit of a misanthropic side.
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing a character in a novel.
- 結衣 Yuiこの主人公は人間嫌いかな？Kono shujinkou wa ningen-girai kana?Is this protagonist a misanthrope?
- 健太 Kentaそうだね、かなり人間嫌いだよ。Sou da ne, kanari ningen-girai da yo.That's right, he's quite a misanthrope.
- 結衣 Yui健太はそんなに人間嫌いじゃないよね？Kenta wa sonna ni ningen-girai janai yo ne?You aren't much of a misanthrope, are you, Kenta?
- 健太 Kenta僕は人間は大好きだよ。Boku wa ningen wa daisuki da yo.I love people.
