悪くない
waruku nai
The Japanese phrase for "not bad" is 悪くない (waruku nai).
悪くない is used to say that something is reasonably good. In Japanese, this phrase is often used as a form of understatement to express that something is actually quite good or satisfactory.
Meaning: reasonably good (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
Because it ends in the plain negative auxiliary ない, the phrase is grammatically neutral. It can be used in casual conversation or as a predicate in a polite sentence if you follow it with です.
How do you pronounce it?
waruku nai
Did you know?
- The root 悪 (aku) is also found in the word for 'villain' in Japanese literature and drama. Using this root to mean 'not bad' creates a linguistic contrast between the 'badness' of a character and the 'badness' of a quality.
- In professional settings, a boss might use 悪くない to signal high praise because direct superlatives can feel overly emotional or informal in a Japanese corporate hierarchy.
- In some dialects, the negative ない is replaced with ねえ, changing 悪くない to 悪くねえ, which transforms the phrase into a rough, masculine way of saying 'not bad'.
Examples in context
- 悪くないね。Not bad.Tatoeba #191445 by bunbuku, translation #28607 by AlanF_US
- 全く悪くない！Not bad at all!Tatoeba #9237412 by small_snow, translation #3680850 by AlanF_US
- 全然悪くないよ。Not bad at all.Tatoeba #9237413 by small_snow, translation #8481057 by shekitten
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A man and a woman are discussing a new restaurant.
- 健太 Kentaこの店の料理、どうかな？Kono mise no ryouri, dou kana?How is the food at this restaurant?
- 美咲 Misaki味は悪くないと思うよ。Aji wa warukunai to omou yo.I think the taste is not bad.
- 健太 Kenta美咲は気に入った？Misaki wa kiniitta?Did you like it, Misaki?
- 美咲 Misakiうん、悪くないね。Un, warukunai ne.Yeah, it's not bad.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “not bad” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
