悪い
warui[β̞a̠ɾɯ̟i]
warui is the Japanese word for bad or wrong.
The word 悪い primarily means bad or wrong. Beyond these literal meanings, it is frequently used colloquially to mean 'I'm sorry' or 'my bad' when someone has made a small mistake.
How does it change in a sentence?
The past tense is 悪かった (warukatta), the negative form is 悪くない (warukunai) and the conditional 'if it is bad' form is 悪ければ (warukereba).
Did you know?
- The word 悪い is etymologically related to the word まるい (marui), which means 'round'.
- In Japanese, the expression 気分が悪い (kibun ga warui) is used to tell someone you feel nauseous or physically sick, rather than describing a bad mood.
- Using 悪い as a casual apology like 'my bad' is a gendered speech pattern that is almost exclusively used by men or in rough, masculine speech.
Examples in context
- この商品は 悪い です。This product is bad.
- 昨日のパーティーは 悪かった 。Yesterday's party was bad.
- 気分が悪い。Kibun ga warui.I feel unwell.
- それは悪い考えですね。Sore wa warui kangae desu ne.That is a bad idea.
- 天気が悪いですね。Tenki ga warui desu ne.The weather is bad, isn't it?
Example conversation
Himei forgot to bring something for Ren.
- 陽葵 Himari悪い！忘れ物しちゃった。Warui! Wasuremono shichatta.My bad! I forgot something.
- 蓮 Renまたかよ。何忘れたの？Mata ka yo. Nani wasureta no?Again? What did you forget?
- 陽葵 Himari蓮の教科書を忘れちゃった。Ren no kyōkasho o wasurechatta.I forgot your textbook, Ren.
- 蓮 Renもう、本当に悪いね。Mō, hontō ni warui ne.Geez, that's really bad.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 悪い, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 悪い, CC BY-SA 4.0.
