嫌悪感を起こさせる
ken'okan o okosaseru
The Japanese phrase for "repulsive" is 嫌悪感を起こさせる (ken'okan o okosaseru).
嫌悪感を起こさせる is used to describe something that tends to rouse aversion or to repulse. Depending on the level of formality or the specific emotion you wish to express, other terms may be more appropriate.
Meaning: tending to rouse aversion or to repulse (adj)
Which one should you use?
While 嫌悪感を起こさせる describes the act of causing a feeling of repulsion, other terms change the nuance: 忌まわしい is used for things that are detestable or abhorrent and むかつく focuses more on the feeling of irritation or being sickened. For much more casual or visceral reactions, the slang きもい is used to describe things that are gross or creepy.
How do you pronounce it?
ken'okan o okosaseru
Did you know?
- The word 忌まわしい is rooted in the concept of 忌み, which refers to ritual taboos and avoiding things that bring spiritual impurity or bad luck.
- While むかつく describes feeling sickened or repulsed, it is also the standard word used to describe the physical sensation of nausea.
- The phrase 嫌悪感を起こさせる uses the noun 感, which refers to a 'sensation'. This reflects a linguistic tendency in Japanese to describe emotions as physical sensations that occur within the body.
Examples in context
- 彼の行動は忌まわしい。His behavior is repulsive.
- あの虫、きもいよ！That bug is gross!
- 彼の態度は嫌悪感を起こさせる。Kare no taido wa ken'okan o okosaseru.His attitude arouses aversion.
- それは嫌悪感を起こさせるような臭いだ。Sore wa ken'okan o okosaseru yōna nioi da.That is a repulsive smell.
- あまりに嫌悪感を起こさせる表現だった。Amari ni ken'okan o okosaseru hyōgen datta.It was an extremely repulsive expression.
Example conversation
Two people are discussing a controversial movie they just watched.
- 陽葵 Himariあの映画の演出は嫌悪感を起こさせるね。Ano eiga no enshutsu wa ken'okan o okosaseru ne.The direction in that movie is repulsive, isn't it?
- 陽太 Yota確かに、少し不快な感じがしたよ。Tashika ni, sukoshi fukai na kanji ga shita yo.True, it felt a bit unpleasant.
- 陽葵 Himari陽太さんはどう感じた？Yōta-san wa dō kanjita?How did you feel, Yota?
- 陽太 Yota僕はあまり見たくなかったかな。Boku wa amari mitakunakatta kana.I didn't really want to see it.
